We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dawn Tucker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dawn below.

Dawn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was starting my own theatre company. My dream was always to live in my hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona and to create theatre. After graduate school, I worked for several years in Phoenix, Arizona and was involved in some wonderful theatre in the valley. When I got the opportunity to move back up the mountain to Flagstaff, I knew I had to take it even though it meant moving to a place where there was no professional theatre.
My first summer in Flagstaff, I worked with several wonderful theatre professionals from down in Phoenix to put up the first-ever Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival show. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the biggest risk I’ve taken by a long shot. We had no theatre, no budget, and no staff, but we had a hardworking group of wonderful actors that made our first show, “Twelfth Night”, a big hit.
Over the following eight years, the company grew to a year-round institution with four staff members. Now, we typically put up five shows a year and employ over 60 artists a year.
In 2021, the company was awarded a Community Impact award by the local arts council and at that moment I knew all the work was worth it and my big gamble had paid off.

Dawn, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Dawn Tucker, the Executive Director and Founder of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. I’m a Flagstaff native and I love my town. I’m passionate about theatre, historic preservation, and static trapeze. I knew from the time I was little, acting out scenes from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my cousins, that I would be an actor when I grew up. When I discovered Shakespeare, with all its romance, adventure, and poetry, at the age of 13, I knew I very specifically wanted to be a Shakespearean actor.
With this goal in mind, I first pursued a BFA at the University of Wisconsin and then an M.Litt. at Mary Baldwin University in partnership with The American Shakespeare Center.
In 2015, along with a group of dedicated actors, I founded the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. We are dedicated to producing Shakespeare and other actor-driven works. Actor-driven means we’re here to do plays that highlight the actor’s abilities, not tech or spectacle.
FlagShakes currently runs year-round putting up five mainstage productions and several events each year. I’m so proud that this company has grown to something large enough to provide livelihoods for administrators and artists in Northern Arizona.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing people can do to support artists and creatives is to get out and see their work. With so many options of how to spend time, it can be easy to stay at home and skip cultural events. However, if you get out and explore your local arts scene, you are sure to find something that ignites your own creativity and refreshes your perspective. Beyond that, practicing philanthropy and giving to a non-profit helps employ local artists who are a vital part of your community.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist and producing art is hearing the impact stories of audience members, especially youth. There’s nothing that beats the look on a kids face when they’re engrossed in a play. And when you increase representation in a play and see a kid recognize themselves on the stage, that’s the most heartwarming thing in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flagshakes.org
• Instagram: @flagshakes @circusgirlnextdoor
• Facebook: Facebook.com/flagshakes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvGqnQ1CPvpLC7Lg6Y2TLPg

Image Credits
G’s Photos