Theatre Tuscaloosa Executive Producer Tina Turley to Retire

Theatre Tuscaloosa Executive Producer Tina Turley will retire after 18 years of service. Her time as Executive Producer will conclude with the August 2025 production of "Anastasia."

In a letter addressed to Shelton State President Jonathan Koh, Dean of Instruction Micheal Green, and the Theatre Tuscaloosa Board of Directors, Turley expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as the Executive Producer and reflected on the achievements made possible through the unique partnership between Theatre Tuscaloosa and Shelton State.

"Good theatre is all in the timing," Turley said. "When to take the stage, and when to make one's exit." Turley has decided to step down from her role after the 2024-25 season to pursue a desire to prioritize health and explore her passion for writing. Turley will direct the 2025 summer musical "Anastasia" as her final show as Executive Producer.

Since 1997, Turley has produced more than 75 shows with Theatre Tuscaloosa. She has served in a multitude of roles including, but not limited to, Ticket Office Supervisor, Second Stage Coordinator, and Executive Producer.

With more than 40 years of experience as a director, actor, writer, teacher, and theater manager, Turley has a deep dedication and love for the arts. She served as Ticket Office Supervisor and Second Stage Coordinator for Theatre Tuscaloosa from 1997 to 1999 and returned as the Executive Producer in 2006. Her directing credits for Theatre Tuscaloosa include Ragtime, A Christmas Carol, Regrets Only, Ain't Misbehavin', Joseph...Dreamcoat, Christmas Belles, The Sound of Music, Doubt, Miscast, Moonlight and Magnolias, A Lesson Before Dying, The Music Man, Crimes of the Heart, Rumors, Death of a Salesman, The Woman in Black, Proof, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Complete History of America Abridged, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Nunsense, among others.

She directed several world premieres including Love and Cheese Toast and Launch Day (Love Stories from the Year 2108), which were both national finalists for the American Association of Community Theatre Festival (AACTFest) in 2021 and 2023 respectively. The productions garnered state, regional, and national awards at the various levels of AACTFest.

Turley's work has also won the praise of critics. "Tina Turley directs Ragtime with respect and fearlessness," a 2017 BROADWAYWORLD.COM review said. "She takes much pride in her position with Theatre Tuscaloosa along with its actors, crew, and staff. They should all be extremely proud of Ragtime at Theatre Tuscaloosa. It is an essential and well-produced musical that touches you in both your heart and mind."

Before her tenure as Executive Producer, Turley served as Interim Faculty at The University of Alabama (UA) in the areas of Acting/Voice, Acting/Movement, and Theater Management. She also directed for UA's Opera program in the School of Music.

Turley's writing credits include: Stars Fell on Alabama and Invision Magic (in collaboration with Chris Gordon) for the inaugural season of Visionland Theme Park, Brush Up Your Shakespeare, which toured with Theatre Tuscaloosa's Stage Centre program for many years and has been produced by other companies all over the Southeast, and Wasted Times, a domestic violence awareness play, commissioned by the UA Women and Gender Resource Center. Her ten-minute play Paint it Red and Call it Art has been performed several times throughout the Southeast.

"Tina has had a profound impact on Theatre Tuscaloosa and our entire community," Managing Director and long-time friend Adam Miller said. "She brought stability to our organization by assembling a senior staff that has been in place since 2010. She brought us through the 2011 tornado, the pandemic, and, now, a major renovation of the Bean-Brown Theatre. Even through adversity, she managed to produce profound, moving, entertaining theatre that has brought state, regional, and national acclaim to our community. Her contributions to Theatre Tuscaloosa cannot be overstated."

Before moving to Tuscaloosa Tina lived in Dallas and worked as volunteer coordinator for Theatre Three, assistant to the Public Relations Director of the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, volunteer coordinator for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, personnel director for Dillard's, managing director for the McKinney Avenue Contemporary, and managing director for the critically acclaimed Kitchen Dog Theater Company. Turley has served on the faculty of Mountain View College's Professional Actors Musical Theatre Conservatory in Dallas, Stillman College, Shelton State, and The University of Alabama.

Turley's honors include the 2018 Alabama Conference of Theatre Hall of Fame Award, the 2017 Tarleton State University Academic Alumni Honoree; the 2005 Druid Arts Award for theatre artist and 2006 Druid Arts Award for theatre educator; the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Commencement Speaker for the College of Arts & Sciences at Texas A&M-Commerce; the 2005 recipient of Theatre Tuscaloosa's "Ox in the Ditch" award; and the 2003 Allen Bales Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Theater at The University of Alabama. Turley has served on grant committees for the Alabama State Council on the Arts and has collaborated with the Alabama Writers' Forum on several projects including their Hall of Fame inaugural gala. She has served on the board of directors for the Miss Texas Pageant/Sulphur Springs, West Alabama Aids Outreach, and the advisory board for Self-Express Productions in Winfield, Alabama.

Turley holds a B.A. from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas; an M.S. from Texas A&M-Commerce (formerly known as East Texas State University); and an M.F.A. in directing from The University of Alabama. She is married to Ernie Turley, and they reside in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Turley feels confident in the future of Theatre Tuscaloosa and Shelton State, noting the strength of the community and the dedication of its members. She will not be involved in choosing a successor but has pledged to provide insight and consultation to facilitate a smooth transition.

She expresses heartfelt gratitude to colleagues, board members, volunteers, actors, designers, crew, and audience members for their support and trust over the years. Turley looks forward to the exciting opportunities ahead and encourages all involved to approach the future with joy and enthusiasm.

Turley's final season with Theatre Tuscaloosa will be 2024-2025 "Making Theatre Magic." Her unwavering spirit and love for the Theatre Tuscaloosa family have been vital to the success of the organization. All the staff, actors, volunteers, and patrons of Theatre Tuscaloosa will cherish their final season with this dedicated leader and wish Turley well as she embarks on this new chapter in her life.

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