When Tina Dale started walking the boards in 2011, she was a newbie to the stage—but she was hardly new to the spotlight. As a reporter her name has been a familiar one in the River Valley for years; and as a long-time supporter of the Fort Smith Little Theatre, her ties to the community run deep. Over the years, she has served in both a behind-the-scenes capacity as well as one on-stage—and then came the time for her to shine her brightest.
“I’ve been volunteering my time at FSLT for more than a decade and first became involved in the summer of 2011,” says Tina. “My daughter wanted to audition for The Sound of Music but was nervous. I told her I would audition, too, and got a role as an extra. The experience was great fun, but I felt very much out of my league. There were so many incredibly talented people, and I couldn’t imagine what I could bring to the table. Still, Rham Cunningham suggested I audition for Other People’s Money the following February. I did, and I was cast as Kate Sullivan. It was a small cast and crew, and I found a new home. The people at the theatre truly are a giant family. It’s an amazing place to be and group in which to be included.”
Over the past eleven years, Tina has been on stage in twenty productions and served as a costume assistant, seamstress, costumer, prop mistress and assistant director. She has also volunteered at the box office, been an usher, and worked hospitality at intermissions, and is serving her second term on the theatre’s board of directors. Now, she’s stepping into her first directorship of a “full-run” FSLT production with A Philadelphia Story.
“A Philadelphia Story is a classic and one of my favorites of all time,” says Tina, who submitted the play to the committee for their consideration during their planning of the 2022 season. When her submission was selected, Tina was also named as director.
“My dad was a big classic movie buff. When I was young, he and I would watch dozens of old films he’d bring home, and that practice continued when I grew older,” she goes on,” she goes on. “I can vividly remember sitting in the chair beside him, watching A Philadelphia Story with Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. I had seen Jimmy Stewart in a few movies by then and had a huge crush on him. I think I had seen Cary Grant, too. But it was the first time I’d seen Katherine Hepburn, and I was in awe. From that moment, I was a huge fan. I don’t know that I can explain why. I’ve seen the movie and the play at least a dozen times—both of which were written specifically for Katherine Hepburn.
“When the production committee sent out an email in 2021 asking for season submissions for the coming year, they wanted to include some FSLT fan favorites from years past to celebrate the 75th anniversary. A Philadelphia Story was on that list. My dad had passed away a few months earlier, and I knew I had to at least try to get the play approved, as a tribute to him. Of course, I was thrilled when it was chosen for the season. I was also a little terrified that I might absolutely fail as director. When I admitted this to my friend Judi, she said to me, ‘But who else loves it as much? You will do it justice.’ I just wish my dad could come watch it.”
“In this, our 75th Anniversary Season, the slate of shows includes popular classics, shows that are new to FSLT, and one production to be performed in November that will mark its on-stage premier,” says Nancy Blochberger, a member of the Publicity Committee as well as the 75th Anniversary Committee. “A Philadelphia Story is one of the classics—and special to us. It was performed at FSLT in 1957 and again in 1981.”
FSLT’s production of A Philadelphia Story will be performed September 22 through October 1. Tickets go on sale September 15. “The cast calls for nine men and six females,” says Tina. “During auditions, you just know who will be the right fit. Every director has an idea of what they would like. For some, it’s a family that looks like a family. For others, it’s how they sound together. For me, it’s a feeling. The actors need to feel right for the role and feel right together. A lot of that is chemistry and how they react to each other. But a big part of that is purely that feeling they create in me. When you feel it, you know. And I know that the most important thing you can do as a director is to have a great cast and crew.”
For more information on showtimes and ticket sales, visit fslt.org.
