Larry M. Untiet

Drama, Speech, and English Instructor

Spencer High School Drama Department Website

53rd Anniversary of Thespian Troupe #1763: 1957-2010

73rdAnniversary of the Original SHS Auditorium: 1937-2010

Fall of 2009

"The Music Man"

Cast & Production Staff List

Untiet to join IHSSA Hall of Fame

Spencer High School Speech and Drama instructor Larry Untiet will be inducted into the Iowa High School Speech Association Hall of Fame on Oct. 12 in Des Moines.

The IHSSA Hall of Fame was conceived in 1976. It is presented to a distinguished individual of statewide reputation and outstanding accomplishments. This is the highest honor the Iowa High School Speech Association may confer on an individual. The contribution and service given by the inductee stem from dedication and commitment to the IHSSA beyond normally expected and superlative identification. In addition to Untiet, his year's class also includes Linda Brant of Charles City.

Untiet graduated from Webster City High School and received his BA from UNI (1970). His first teaching job was at Northeast Hamilton in 1971 and then he came to Spencer in 1975 and has been at Spencer the last 32 years. Untiet has directed over 81 productions at the high school and community theatre level. He has been a very active member of the Spencer Community Theatre serving as its President. He has served the IHSSA as state officer, contest manager, All-State Committee member, Coaches Convention Committee and has been asked to speak at the IHSSA Coaches Convention many times.

Spencer under the direction of Untiet is the only school in the state to perform at every Large Group All-State Festival since 1975. Spencer has had 150 groups named as "Outstanding Performers" for the IHSSA All-State Festival, including four critic's choices.

Brant grew up on a farm near Anthon, and has a B.A. from Morningside College (1973) in English, theatre, and secondary education. She has an MA from ISU ( 1982) in English with a drama emphasis. Her first teaching and directing job was at Emmetsburg High School from 1973-76. She also taught high school at Sioux City East, and since 1980 at Charles City. In addition she has taught college courses for Iowa State University, Upper Iowa University, and North Iowa Area Community College.

Untiet Inducted into Hall of Fame

The Iowa High School Speech Association inducted their 43rd and 44th members into the Hall of Fame October 12, 2007, at the Fort Des Moines Hotel in Des Moines. The IHSSA Hall of Fame was conceived in 1976. It is presented to a distinguished individual of statewide reputation and outstanding accomplishments. This is the highest honor the Iowa High School Speech Association may confer on an individual. The contribution and service given by the inductee stem from dedication and commitment to the IHSSA beyond normally expected and superlative identification. This year’s inductees were Linda Brant of Charles City and Larry Untiet of Spencer.

Untiet graduated from Webster City High School and received his BA from UNI in 1970. His first teaching job was at Northeast Hamilton in 1971. He came to Spencer in 1975 and has coached Spencer’s drama for the last 33 years. Untiet has directed over 83 productions at the high school and community theatre level. He has been a very active member of the Spencer Community Theatre, including serving as its president. He has served the IHSSA as state officer, contest manager, All-State Committee member, and on the Coaches’ Convention Committee. He has been asked to speak at the IHSSA Coaches Convention many times. Spencer High School, under the direction of Mr. Untiet, is the only school in the state to have performed at every Large Group All- State Festival since its conception in 1975.

Spencer has had 154 groups named as "Outstanding Performers" for the IHSSA All-State Festival, including 23 choral readings, 37 ensemble acting scenes, 37 group mimes, 13 one-act plays, 20 readers’ theatres, 12 solo mimes, 8 group improvisations and 4 musical theatres. Under Untiet’s direction, Spencer has also earned four Critic’s Choice Awards and two Sweepstakes Trophies for having the most entries at the All State Festival in 1997 and 1999.

Untiet has also been honored nationally for his accomplishments in speech and drama by the National Federation of Speech and Theatre Educators who awarded him a State of Iowa Winner in 2003 and a Regional Winner in 2004. He has also received several national awards for his set designs and set building expertise.

The Hall of Fame Induction Banquet was held in the ballroom of the Hotel Fort Des Moines in conjunction with the Iowa High School Association’s annual Coaches Convention, with over 300 speech and drama coaches in attendance from across the state. At the banquet, Untiet was honored for his accomplishments and was introduced by his son, Christopher, a former Spencer High School student and Thespian Troupe #1763 President in 2001-2002.

Spencer Schools will be hosting a reception in honor of Larry Untiet’s induction into the IHSSA Hall of Fame on November 13th from 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. at central office. If anyone would like to share congratulatory thoughts, please send them to Becky Conley, Spencer High School, P.O. Box 200, Spencer, IA 51301 or e-mail: bconley@spencer.k12.ia.us

Reception to be held for Hall of Famer

A come and go reception for Larry Untiet from 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at the Central Office will be held to honor his induction into the Iowa High School Speech Association's Hall of Fame. Larry's son, Chris Untiet, introduced Larry before his induction. The event was held at Hotel Fort Des Moines on Friday, Oct. 12. There will be a short presentation starting at 4:30.

"We Didn't Start the Fire!"

A Choral Reading Commemorating 

the 75th Anniversary

 of the Spencer Fire of 1931

"The Lost Love Letters of 1921"

written by Halbert Jenkins to his fiancé, Florence Kirkpatrick

 January, February, March, 1921

Larry Untiet, Director of Theatre at Spencer High School, plans to use Paul Jenkins generous gift of $1000 to go toward the construction of a speech and drama awards display case.

more drama donors

LMU's Drama Resume:

1st Production - "Eyes Wide Open"   starring Larry Merlin Untiet, at the age of 6 months

SHS Drama Department

Large Group Speech

Thespian Troupe #1763

Iowa Hall of Pride