UALR magazine
Fall/Winter 2007 • Vol. 3 No. 2
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Sharing The Stage
By Tonya Oaks Smith
What began as a candid conversation five years ago between Bob Hupp, producing artistic director for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre (The Rep), and Victor Ellsworth, UALR professor in the Department of Music, has led to one of central Arkansas’ most fruitful partnerships in the art world.
Hupp remembers that conversation well. His desire to see the UALR theater program revitalized was somewhat selfish — he wanted to encourage talented individuals to keep their talent growing in the state. The two men shared a long-term vision of helping develop UALR’s theater as the pre-eminent program in the state, one that would shine alongside flourishing programs throughout the country.
“The Rep’s role in the UALR Department of Theatre continues to change, but at the heart, we want to enhance the students’ learning experience,” Hupp said. “We help to craft capstone experiences for those who want to move into the professional theater world, and we work with a number of interns each year in all parts of our organization.”
With a $3.5 million annual budget, The Rep has a significant impact on the state’s arts community. Little Rock companies frequently bring clients and executive recruits to productions as evidence of the capital city’s artistic advantages. By “giving a flavor of what it is to live in Little Rock,” Hupp said local arts organizations can help local businesses seal the deal.
“Per capita, Little Rock has one of the most diverse and strongest arts communities in the country,” Hupp said. “With the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, The Rep, the Clinton Presidential Center, and the Arkansas Arts Center, we can compare favorably to a city with half-a-million people. There is not a city our size that offers the cultural amenities we do.”
From that initial conversation between Hupp and Ellsworth, a formal relationship between The Rep and UALR’s Music Department, which then housed the theater department, forged. This partnership was designed to benefit the two entities, as well as help create a cultural asset for Central Arkansas in much the same way Miami’s Florida International University is regarded in South Florida.
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The two men agreed that for The Rep to thrive in a competitive environment, the theater must be able to depend on a steady stream of educated, prepared employees who could contribute to the local artistic economy. In the first year of the agreement, The Rep’s professional artists would play an integral role in the development of courses and the evolution of the department at UALR.
“In the early years, we would teach classes and help select the season for the theater department,” Hupp said. “Our feedback was welcomed after each performance, and we were able to lend set and costume designers and directors for performances. In phase two of our relationship, we worked on strengthening the faculty with additions like Yslan Hicks, who continues to design costumes with us.”
In the third phase of the UALR-Rep collaboration, the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance became its own entity on campus. The department needed a strong leader to fill its starring role of department chair. Hupp agreed to chair the search and serve as interim chair of the department in the meantime. Jay Raphael was hired, and The Rep’s role continues to evolve with him at the helm.
Hupp joined The Rep in 1999, after working more than a decade in New York City’s rich artistic environment. In his travels, he sees the benefits of a strong relationship between arts organizations and universities. Central Arkansas is unique in the state because of the continually evolving relationship between The Rep and UALR.
“There is no other university theater program in the state that has integrated a give-and-take relationship with a professional theater company like we have in Little Rock,” Hupp said. “It has been a win-win situation for us and for the city.”