BECCA MARTIN-BROWN

bmartin@nwaonline.com

“I want to challenge perspectives and make educational theater exciting and new,” says Erin Bagley.

A graduate of Ouachita Baptist University with a BFA in musical theater, Bagley, from White Oak, Texas, is the new director of theater for the Community School of the Arts in Fort Smith. Her predecessor, Cody Walls, is also an OBU grad, as is Dylan Blackwood, theater and dance instructor at CSA, and Bagley says she “learned about CSA through their sharing and love of the school.”

Bagley makes her CSA directorial debut with the musical version of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” on stage July 19-20. She answered these questions for What’s Up!

Q. What inspired you to fall in love with theater? Is there a play or a moment you remember particularly?

A. I actually grew up with theater at a place very similar to CSA, at Artsview Children’s Theatre, or ACT, in Longview, Texas. My mom put me in as many activities as possible growing up, including all kinds of sports, bands, choirs and theater. I was quite a shy kid, very reserved and scared of everything. At ACT, I was able to grow all kinds of new skills and make friends. … What really affected me the most though, was in high school, where we competed at OAP State in Texas with the play “Women of Lockerbie.” There is something about being vulnerable onstage, learning to analyze a script, and connecting with others in a play about community connections that really hit an emotional string with me, and I knew theater had to be a part of the rest of my life.

Q. How did you set your path from there to here?

A. I decided on making my career in theater my junior year of high school. I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do yet, I just knew it had to be related to theater. I loved music, so I decided to go to OBU for musical theater, ready to … do whatever I can to learn, get better, and grow all my skills, whether that be designing, directing, acting, singing, dancing, you name it! … Luckily, I’ve ended up in the perfect place at CSA.

Q. What’s been your favorite role so far in your career? Or favorite moment as a director?

A. My favorite role had to be in “Sweeney Todd” or “Mary Poppins.” “Sweeney Todd” was an immersive show, so I got to move around the audience, and sing the highest notes in the musical right next to them. “Mary Poppins” was… Well, I was Mary Poppins, how could anyone not love being seen as Mary Poppins? I also got to fly! My favorite directing role was when I directed a one act called “Universal Language”; the entire script is nonsense words. It was so challenging to create an artistic statement with it, and my actors did wonderful work with the words. If you search up “Hollaback Girl” by The Stardust Sisters, you’ll get the idea of the language of the play. It was very fun.

Q. What do you hope to bring to CSA?

A. My focus for CSA is the students, and giving them an amazing, artistic experience with the shows they participate in. They are the life of the theater and will always be. I want to teach them more about the world of theater, and even bring in elements of immersive/improvisational theater, as that is very popular and important in the business right now. It also helps bring a sense of confidence in oneself, and my main motto is that there is always room to grow.

Q. Why does live theater matter? What makes it important to kids — and adults — to do and see?

A. Live theater is SO incredibly important. … For the kids involved in it, they get to learn how to work with people, how to communicate, how to be a team, and work on cognitive skills like memorization, muscle memory, and moving as a group. For adults and even kids seeing and experiencing theater, you get to experience something that can never be replicated by anything or anyone else, a new and personal experience solely for you. It provokes thought and can be a powerful way to connect with others through complex themes and emotions. (Music brings another level to live theater, but we won’t get into that yet!) There is nothing better than connecting with others, and connecting as a community.

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FAQ

‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’:

The Musical

WHEN — 7 p.m. July 19; 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. July 20

WHERE — St. Boniface Elementary School, 201 N. 19th St. in Fort Smith

COST — $15-$18

INFO — csafortsmith.org

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FYI

CSA 2024-25 Season

Nov. 1-2 — “Disney’s Sleeping Beauty”

Nov. 15-17 — “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”

Dec. 13-14 — “Seussical: The Musical”

April 11-12, 2025 — “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh”

April 25-26 — “Dragons Love Tacos”

May 16-18 — “The SpongeBob Musical”