Mark Landon Smith, Executive Director
Mark served on the creative faculty of Arts Live Theatre for the three years prior to becoming Artistic Director, a position he held for three years before assuming the Executive Director position in 2009. In addition to teaching a series of classes and workshops, Mark also directed several Arts Live productions including Ascension Day, Androcles and the Lion, An Evening of Williams And Inge, Holes and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Mark was a member of the Graduate Acting Program at the University of Arkansas where he appeared in several productions and was a two time Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Regional Finalist. As actor he has appeared with Centerstage, TheatreSquared, Tidal Theatre Company, Gaslight Dinner Theatre, The Playroom, Theatre Memphis, Starlight Productions, three seasons with the McCoy Repertory Theatre and starred in the film "Frog Hair" and on the television series,
Jules Taylor, Resident Teaching Artist and Director
Jules comes to Fayetteville via Chicago where she taught early music and dance education at Old Town School of Folk Music, as well as hosted the Songwriters Circle and other events. Jules holds an MA from Texas A&M University and a BFA from the College of Santa Fe, NM. She has taught music, dance and drama to babies as young as six months old and to adults in their 80s. She has worked as Lead Teaching Artist for Gallery 37 for the city of Chicago teaching dance and drama to special needs high school students. She is a choreographer and director of many children's theater performances, as well as an actor herself. Jules also created and produced “Devin Rocks Presents,” a weekly showcase of musicians and poets from around the country which ran for over a year. Most recently, Jules was seen in Pearl's Sixth White
Missy Gipson, Resident Teaching Artist and Director
Missy has a BA in Theatre as well as a minor in music from Lyon College. After college she moved to New York, where she studied acting and voice. While in New York, Missy originated the role of Mary Shelley in the off-off Broadway debut of Frankenstein: The Rock Musical at LaMaMa E.T.C. Some of the shows she has appeared in include A Streetcar Named Desire, The Beggar’s Opera, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, South Pacific and Bandstand U.S.A. Locally she was seen as Donna in Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding at the Walton Arts Center. Missy is also a vocal coach and tours regionally as part o ChaseMissy, an Americana band. They have opened for such acts as Lucy Kaplansky, Robert Earl Keen and other well-known performers. She has directed the Arts Live Theatre productions of How To Eat Like A Child, Aladdin, Grease and co-directed Schoolhouse Rock Live!, High School Musical, Seussical and appeared onstage in the ALT mentor production of Holes.
ARTS LIVE THEATRE
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8am - 4pm
Hours may vary depending upon calls and production schedules. Any changes are posted at Ats live Theatre, the website & voice mail.
Phone • 479.521.4932
E-mail • info@artslivetheatre.com
818 N. Sang Avenue • P.O. Box 4362
Fayetteville, AR 72702
To contact EAD, email: marksmith@artslivetheatre
Jason Suel, Resident Teaching Artist and Director
Jason is originally from Southern Arkansas, but has recently moved to the area after spending 4 years teaching and acting overseas in the UK. He has an MA in Theatre from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He is currently working as a Teaching Artist and Professional Actor in Northwest Arkansas. Jason has enjoyed such roles as Dromio in The Comedy of Errors, Sam in Personals, Edward Lyons in Blood Brothers, Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Jediadah Schultz/Ensemble in The Laramie Project. This past summer, Jason portrayed Edward in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Trike Theatre in Bentonville, AR., and created the role of Jimmy in the Ceramic Cow production of Radio Dazed: Dracula vs. Old Man Winter. Jason is also a member of Phunbags Comedy Improv. and has directed the Arts Live Theatre productions Anne Frank and Me, Fiddler on the Roof, The Outsiders and the upcoming Weird Sisters and A Separate Peace. Jason also tours the state in the educational production, Diggin' Up Arkansas.
Erin Hagar, Resident Teaching Artist and Director
Erin is a native from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Theatre from The University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR. Erin has directed many ages ranging from Pre-K to college level and has directed and/or adapted Eleanor Scrooge, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, The Nutcracker, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. As actress appearances include Dancing at Lughnasa, The Spitfire Grill, The Mousetrap, and Dracula. Professional credits include Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in Loch Sheldrake, New York where she worked as a costume designer for two consecutive summers. She designed ten shows during her career at Stagedoor Manor including Chicago, Suessical the Musical, Annie, The Dark of the Moon, The Bad Seed, Pirates of Penzance, Blood Brothers, Footloose, Bye Bye Birdie and Steel Magnolias. Erin has recently joined Arts Live Theatre in Fayetteville, AR where she has taught design courses and acting classes for children and will be directing Bang, Bang You're Dead and The Secret Garden.
BEN CLARK
President
Local Business Owner
Arts Live Theatre Parent
JESSICA CAPPS
Vice President
Creative Services Director, Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
DR. CHARLES OGBEIDE
Treasurer
ANTHONY CLARK
Realtor
ELIZABETH GRIFFITH
LAUREN MARQUETTE
Program Director, Rogers-Lowel Area Chamber of Commerce
COLIN MASSEY
JASON SMITH
Executive Assistant, Walton Arts Center
CHRISTOPHER SPENCER
JENNIFER STOLZ
School Teacher
SHAWNA THORUP
Who's Who
staff ~ faculty ~ board
Jan Luecking, Adminstrative Director
Jan has been with Arts Live Theatre for three years as Administrative Director, but has a history with the organization having been administrative assistant from 1992-2002. Jan also served as Interim Executive Director for approximately one year. During this time she also worked as House Manager at the Walton Arts Center. Jan's duties at Arts Live involved various adminstrative functions as well as bookkeeping duties.
info@artslivetheatre.com | 479.521.4932 Office
Kris Pruett, Resident Teaching Artist
Kris holds a BA in Drama from the University of Arkansas and an MFA from the University of Las Vegas. Credits inlcude Macbeth, Reasons to be Pretty, Sundown Town, The Hairy Ape & Noises Off.
Faye Alter, Costumer
Faye has costumed numerous Arts Live productions including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, James and the Giant Peach, The Pirate Show, Christmas Carol High School, The Secret Garden, Seussical, Androcles and the Lion, Annie and The Hobbit. Faye studied clothing design in New York at the Fashion Institute of Technology and has been costuming ALT productions since 2002. She has also costumed productions of Throughly Modern Millie and Greater Tuna.
Mark Andrews, Technical Director
Mark has been a lighting designer/theatre technician in Fayetteville for twenty years. Mark has been with Arts Live Theatre since 2005 and credits include Androcles and the Lion, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Night of the Living Dead, Anne Frank and Me, The Secret Garden, Aladdin, James and the Giant Peach, Holes, High School Musical, The Pirate Show, Grease, Seussical, Christmas Carol High School, Alice In Wonderland, and The Hobbit. Mark holds a BA in drama from the University of Arkansas and does lighting for Ceramic Cow Productions, Dance Coalition and the Young Actor’s Guild. He has also designed lighting for Ozark Stageworks and the University Theatre.
Board of Directors
Xi Krump, Scenic Designer
Xi served as scenic designer for the Arts Live Theatre productions The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, Night of the Living Dead, Androcles and the Lion, The Secret Garden and Anne Frank and Me. She has had a mural and faux finishing business in NWA for the past ten years. Before that she worked under educational grants as a visiting artist for K-12 in upstate New York, and as the scenic artist for Cornell University's Theatre Arts Department for 5 years. Regionally Xi's most public project has been "Rebecca's Garden", the themed children's section of the Roger's Library.
"Simple Pleasures." As a professional playwright, Mark has had ten scripts published by Baker's Plays/Samuel French/ Contemporary Drama. His plays are produced nationally and internationally and include three foreign translations and an Off-Broadway Production. He has authored adaptations of The Secret Garden and Alice In Wonderland for Arts Live and the original scripts Christmas Carol High School (AATE Distinguished Play Nominee), Teenagers From Outer Space and The Pirate Show, which has been published by Baker's Plays/Samuel French. Mark has also served as adjunct faculty member with Tulsa University and MidSouth College and has served as former Artistic Director for the Actor's Workshop Theatre Company and the Youth Repertory Theatre. He is co-founder and co-producer of Ceramic Cow Productions, a fringe theatre/film/television company specializing in comedy and producers of the popular Dupont, Mississippistage series. Mark serves on the Board for Artamiss, is a former member of the Fayetteville Arts Council, Fayetteville Downtown Partners and leads the Arkansas Playwright's Workshop with Theatre Squared.. He is also a team member and director of the Ceramic Cow Productions comedy improv group, Phunbags!
marksmith@artslivetheatre.com | 479.521.4932 Office
Trash Wedding with Ceramic Cow Productions, of which she is a company member. She has directed several productions with Arts Live Theatre including The Secret Garden, The Pirate Show, The Emperor's New Clothes and James and the Giant Peach and co-directed productions of Schoolhouse Rock Live!, High School Musical and Seussical. She recently directedAlice In Wonderland for ALT and appeared onstage with Arts Live in the mentor productions of Holes and Christmas Carol High School. Jules is the creator of the popular Shaky Bugs program, an interactive music program for toddles and is a member of the comedy improv group, Phunbags!. She also tours the state in the educational production, Diggin' Up Arkansas.
