Today we’d like to introduce you to Nora Paine.
Hi Nora, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
New Tampa Players has a long 20 year history of serving the residents of Hillsborough County, especially northern Hillsborough County with opportunities and experiences in the performing arts. New Tampa Players was founded in 2002 by a group of artists who wanted the residents of the emerging community of New Tampa to have performing arts opportunities. Over the years, we have grown into an organization whose primary mission is inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in the performing arts.
We are known for bringing the Penguin Project to Florida. Penguin Project is a theater program for children and young adults with special needs. Each year, we produce a junior length, but fully realized musical with a cast of between 80 and 100. Each young artist is paired with a peer mentor who not only assist them throughout the rehearsal and performance process but also develop a fast friendship.
We also created the Diverse Abilities Arts Festival. It is in its first year and is scheduled for spring 2022! The Diverse Abilities Arts Festival will bring together performing artists and visual artists with disabilities to showcase their work and network together.
For our mainstage season, we perform at Uptown Stage at the University Mall. Uptown Stage is a small blackbox performance space. Our first season has included diverse works with diverse casts, including The Black Nativity, Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, and Manic Monologues.
My background in theater started the first week of my freshman year of college, the theater department asked if I wanted to be their student Technical Director. I knew how to run a light board and a soundboard, but had never done theater— but I agreed and my journey in theater began. Within two months, I had technically directed The Mousetrap and over the next 4 years, I worked on 16 productions as a stage manager, technical director, and even a director.
I took a break for graduate school at Loyola College of Maryland, where I got my Master’s in Montessori Education. In 2008, I moved to New Tampa. As a mom with three small kids, I wanted to reach out into my community and stage-manage a show. I emailed all of the local theaters and Doug Wall; president of New Tampa Players answered my email. They needed a stage manager for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It all started there.
I love stage managing. I love creating organization out of chaos and get energy from the backstage of a musical. Set pieces, quick costume changes, and making sure everything is where it needs to be so the cast can create the world for the audience is perfect for me. I have stage managed over 40 productions for NTP, but some of my favorites are Into the Woods with Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics and music and Quilt: A Musical Celebration with its story of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Anyway, I started with that production of Forum, and I did another and another. In 2010, Doug asked me to be on the board as the Director of Production and coordinate all of the technical aspects of the shows. That was right up my alley. I recruited the production team and coordinated between the production team and the artistic team– sets, lights, costumes, props, and of course, stage managing. In 2017, Doug tragically died from pancreatic cancer, and I stepped into the role of president to keep his vision for New Tampa Players going. Although I had a ton of experience producing shows by this point— there was so much to learn to lead an arts organization. The shows are the production of a theater, but in order to keep making the product, you have to know how to raise the funds to make it possible. As they say– where there is a will there is a way… I jumped with both feet– learning how to write grants, how to fundraise, and how to market. I learned how to talk about our mission and how to stay mission-focused. Over the past 5 years, New Tampa Players has grown into having our own theatre. Now as New Tampa Players’ Producing Artistic Director, I can bring together all of these skills to advocate every day for NTP’s mission– diversity, accessibility, and inclusion.
My heart is making opportunities for those who would not have the opportunity otherwise. Through my own children’s experiences, I learned how hard it is for children with disabilities to participate in the performing arts. My own children have struggled with reading, which is necessary for cold reading auditions, and memorizing which is necessary for auditions. Although they have been able to participate because of my own participation in community theatre, many other children with similar disabilities would struggle. I was looking for ways to make it easier and more inclusive. Through a community theatre conference, I learned about Penguin Project. Penguin Project makes it possible through the support a peer mentor and a community. I direct our Penguin Project productions, and it is truly my heart and my passion.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been struggles!
Theater is an interesting thing— it only exists in a moment with the people who are performing and the audience who is experiencing the performance. Although you can film it (if your contract allows!), but even viewing a recording does not recreate the experience of being there. It is a beautiful thing because live theater is not like anything else and has the ability to touch you in ways that other mediums of art can’t. It gives an audience member to opportunity to see something from another person’s point of view– and that person is in the room with them. But it is hard to explain to someone who was not there.
That is the struggle– The struggle to get people in the room to experience it. Once you have been there and experienced it, you want to come back for the next one!
I have also had my own personal struggles along the way. I am by nature an introvert. Being a stage manager means that I am never seen– unless there is an emergency. I even have a shirt that says that! You get to wear all black and hang in the dark backstage. But leading an arts organization is different. You have to go to events, talk to people, and talk about what the organization does and frequently be the center of attention.
My mom is an English teacher, and when I was in high school, she wanted me to take speech because she said that for whatever I wanted to do in life– it was important to be able to speak in public with grace and to be able to write well. I didn’t want to do it (and I didn’t!) But as always, moms are right most of the time!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Right now at New Tampa Players we are focused on creating community for our volunteers, donors, and audiences. With COVID, it is so difficult for people to meet in real life, see each other, and work together on creating– we are a place where anyone can participate in the creative process, regardless of experience.
As for me personally, I am focused on making Penguin Project’s production of Mary Poppins Jr a good experience for our entire cast. Our young artists and peer mentors have been waiting for this for over two years. Creating the magic that makes Penguin Project what it is my focus.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.newtampaplayers.org
- Instagram: @NewTampaPlayers
- Facebook: @NewTampaPlayers
Image Credits
James Cass
