Ira
David Wood III, Executive Director
 The Founder and Executive
Director of Raleigh's prestigious Theatre In The Park,
David is a native North Carolinian and a graduate of North
Carolina School of the Arts. During his college years, he was a
leading actor in Paul Green's outdoor drama,
The Lost Colony,
where critics referred to him as "one of the finest actors this
state has ever produced." Upon graduation, David served as North
Carolina's first Theatre Arts Consultant for the Department of
Public Instruction.
A year later, he became Executive
Director of The Children's Theatre of Raleigh. Changing the
organization's name to Theatre In The Park in order to reflect a
broader vision, he began the process of transforming the Theatre
into North Carolina's largest regional theatre, garnering
international acclaim and respect for outstanding artistic
achievement. Over the years, his theatre work has taken him to
such places as China, Afghanistan, Germany, Italy, France and
England.
David is the only two-time
recipient of the Medal of Arts award,
presented by the Raleigh Arts Commission for extraordinary
achievement. National Business Yearly has named him one
of the fifty most influential people in the Triangle.
He wrote and directed the Opening Ceremonies for the US
Olympic Festival in 1987 . . .
the largest single event in the history of North Carolina. He
has made numerous appearances with The North Carolina
Symphony as a guest artist -- and
has also appeared at The Kennedy Center with Andre Watts
and The National Symphony. For
the North Carolina Theater,
David has performed as a leading actor in such productions as:
Oliver, The Wizard of Oz, Funny Girl, Man
of LaMancha, Grease, La Cage Aux Folles, and
The Sound of Music. He is the recipient of The
Builder of Bridges Award,
presented by South Carolina's Babcock Center Foundation. Metro
Magazine recently listed him in its
Who's Who edition for 2003.
Governor James B. Hunt has
presented David with
The Order Of The Long Leaf Pine,
the highest honor this state can afford one of its citizens.
Last year, the City of Raleigh officially designated the second
week of each December as "Ira David Wood Week."
An actor of remarkable range and
ability, David has given theatergoers critically acclaimed stage
performances in such roles as Hamlet, Richard III, Cyrano de
Bergerac, Romeo, and King Lear. He has appeared in motion
pictures with such stars as Cliff Robertson, Louise Fletcher,
Christopher Walken, and Natalie Wood. He is an award-winning
playwright and author. Locally, he is best known and loved for
his annual stage production of
A Christmas Carol, in
which for 29 consecutive years, he has performed the role of
Scrooge. He directs this mammoth production - for which he also
adapted the script and composed the original music. This year
marks the 30th anniversary of this landmark show, now considered
a regional holiday tradition!
David is the proud father of two
exceptional children, Ira David Wood IV and
Evan Rachel Wood. He remains extremely grateful to call North
Carolina "home."
Click here to contact David by e-mail.
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Stephen
Barlow, Financial Director
 Steve
has many years
experience in both accounting/finance and marketing in the
corporate world as well as with several not-for-profit
organizations. Most recently he was the Comptroller for the
Northwest North Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Steve was with Piedmont Airlines for twenty years, was a
senior accountant for half of those years and last held the
position of Director of Marketing. He holds a B.S. from
Georgia Tech and currently lives in Raleigh with his wife,
Lyn.
Click here to contact Steve by e-mail.
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 Dolly R. Sickles, Marketing Director
Dolly
comes to TIP from the corporate world, where she worked for
McGraw-Hill, Inc., Sandler & Recht Communications, and Nortel
Networks. She's a freelance features writer for her hometown
paper,
The Apex Herald,
where she also writes a weekly summer column called The
Optimistic Gardener. When she's not at the Theatre, she
spends her time as a senior docent at the
North Carolina Museum of Art,
gardening, knitting, swimming, walking, writing children's books
and adult thrillers (with just enough romance on the
side), finding a book agent, listening to the North Carolina
Symphony, and volunteering her "extra" time on a number of key
social organizations in which she believes. Her very most
favorite thing in the world, however, is to share and enjoy life
with her son, Peyton, husband, Matt, and their collective brood
of pets: Basset hound, Penelope Buttercup, and sibling cats
(affectionately referred to as "los gatos de muertes") Jake
Delhomme and Dilly Freckles. She sends a 'shout out' to her mom,
Rita, the infamous Dali-mamma.
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A graduate of Salem College, Ashley Hobson serves as Theatre In
The Park's Executive Assistant. Among managing the office
and other duties, she handles
Ira David Wood's schedule and manages his appearances, making sure he's always in the right
place at the right time. She is also in charge of the Theatre's
Archives, helping to maintain a record of TIP's rich history.
Ash is often assisted by her own helper, Miss Priss and her
silly little puppy, Snuggles, who has no qualms at all about
having a cat for a sister.
Click here to contact Ashley by e-mail.
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Steve's designs at TIP include Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace,
The Lion in Winter, The Man from Stratford, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Faraway Nearby, Moon Over
Buffalo, Richard III, Anastasia, Spinning in Butter, Hamlet, and On Golden Pond. His scenic designs have been seen in
New York for the off-Broadway premiere production of Katmandu.
In New Orleans, he designed sets for 3 Hotels and A
Raisin in the Sun for Southern Repertory Theatre, From
the Mississippi Delta and An Evening with Duke Ellington
for The Contemporary Arts Center, and M. Butterfly, Look
Homeward, Angel, Jake's Women and Hello, Dolly at Le
Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre. He holds an M.F.A. from Tulane
University. Steve lives in Angier with his wife, Shawn, who is
involved on the production side with TIP, as well. In 2005,
Steve retired from the U.S. Army Reserves after 20+ years of
honorable service.
Click here to contact Steve by e-mail.
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Brent W.
Simpson, Office Manager
Brent Simpson
comes to TIP after 15 years in the telecom engineering and
support industry. He is an avid supporter of the arts; when not
on stage as the Butcher in Ira David Wood’s
A Christmas Carol,
he can be found at the museum, the symphony, local arts
festivals, or in the audience of traveling musicals. Since
joining the staff, Brent has gained a greater appreciation for
what goes on behind the scenes to make the magic happen. He is
an adult re-entry student pursuing a degree in Social Sciences
and Human Resources. He lives in Raleigh, and loves spending
time with his good friends, cooking, going to the movies and
reading.
Erin West,
Office Manager
Erin is thrilled to be part of
TIP's staff, sharing the role of Office Manager with Brent. She
has also been unseen as a technical crew member for many
of our mainstage shows. She is very happy in theatre support
roles and has had several prior technical experiences including
stage manager (Love Echoes, a Wake Drama production) and
sound designer (The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe,
WTCC Children’s Theatre). In addition, she is credited as
assistant director for a handful of independent films by Wake
Drama and Rusty Lantern Films. She previously worked as a
chiropractic office manager, and continues to expand her
knowledge of natural health. Her limited spare time is spent
with her fiancé, Joe, and catching up on her favorite TV shows.
Board of
Associates
Van Eure, President; Della Basnight; Charlie Gaddy; Rufus Edmisten; Bob Hatley;
John Jernigan; James Maynard; Betty Rae McCain; Mrs. Larry Monteith; Dr. Craig Phillips;
Bernie Reeves; Dr. Larry Wheeler; and Smedes York.
Board
of Directors
Dr. Bob Harris, President; Steve Combs; Patty Gardenhire;
Sue R. Hill; Donnie Holmes; Lisa Hood; Harry Lawrence; Arnold
Lynch; Katie Martin; Brooke Miller; Candace Covington Olander;
Adrienne Earle Pender; Jack Radford; Mike Raab; Robert J.
Ramseur, Jr.; Jeffrey Richardson; Heather Shinpaugh; and Thea Fotiu,
Ex-Officio.
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