BWW Q&A: Sandy Cox on Anything Goes at TexARTS

We talk with Sandy Cox about Anything Goes at TexARTS. Founded in 2005, it has produced 100s of critically acclaimed professional musicals and plays as well as youth theater.  TexARTS Academy has educated 1000s of students, many of whom have gone on to careers in the arts and can be seen on International tours, on cruise ships, in LA, on Broadway and at esteemed educational institutions both on stage and behind the scenes.

In 2023, TexARTS purchased its forever home in the heart of Lakeway and commenced renovations.  This multimillion dollar project will revitalize an old bank into a state of the art 100 seat theatre with 6 classrooms for the Academy including a special needs classroom.  This bold move will allow TexARTS to produce more shows and to increase the number of class offerings for all ages.  TexARTS will celebrate the opening of the new theatre with the production of Anything Goes.

Billy secretly boards the SS American with his boss and co-worker, Reno. Although Reno is infatuated with Billy, he has fallen for a beautiful woman, Hope, who is aboard the ship with them. Hope is engaged to the stuffy British aristocrat, Lord Evelyn, but that does not stop Billy, with the help of other passengers, from trying to win her over.

This 2022 Revision has twice as much dance music as the 1962 version and includes the hits "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top," "Friendship," "It's De-Lovely" and the title song, along with "Easy to Love," “Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye” and "Buddie, Beware." Enjoy music, dance, laughs and an updated yet age-old tale of boy meets girl in the romantic musical comedy of the summer!

Sandy Cox is a technologist, non-profit leader and former Mayor of Lakeway.  She holds an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.  Sandy has successfully led engineering teams, product operations, and a $6B Supply Chain for Motorola and Freescale Semiconductor.  She is known for operationalizing strategic plans and driving change fast all while building a culture of inclusiveness and continuous improvement.  

After retiring to be a full-time mom, she spent 2 decades in non-profit leadership.  Sandy has been a board member, Chairwoman, Treasurer, and Secretary for several Austin non-profit organizations including Safe (Formerly SafePlace), TexARTS, Lake Travis Education Foundation, and Lake Travis Youth Association.  In the last decade, she added government service as the inaugural Chairwoman for the Lakeway Visitors Commission.  Later she served a term as Councilwoman and ultimately two terms as Mayor.  During her time she created the 20 year comprehensive plan, a transportation plan, a parks and recreation plan, and an economic development plan.  She currently serves on the 7-county CAPCOG Economic Development Committee and mentors start-ups at Capital Factory.  She returned to TexARTS in October 2022 as the Executive Director.  In the last 18 months she has lead TexARTS through the purchase of its forever home, renovations of the building to create a 100 seat theatre and expanded classrooms, and raised over $2.5 Million for the project.

What was the driving force behind your decision to transition from a career in technology to non-profit leadership?

It wasn't really a decision, it just happened. I left Technology so that I could be a more present mom. I was already serving on non-profit boards at that time (SAFE formerly Safeplace & Lake Travis Youth Association) and realized that I really enjoyed the "Heart" work. This break gave me the time to volunteer in the schools and my daughter's activities (TexARTS & Lake Travis Youth Association) and build my consulting business. Next thing I knew, I was on the TexARTS board and spending majority of my time helping in anyway possible.

Can you describe the challenges and rewards of leading TexARTS?

The greatest challenge in leading an arts non-profit is fundraising. You are constantly balancing ticket prices, camp fees, and tuition to make it affordable for patrons and students to access the arts. Yet the cost to produce high quality shows, hire the instructors, creative staff, and actors to support the shows and classes is skyrocketing. Private and institutional donors are key to the success of arts organizations. TexARTS survived the pandemic when many other arts non-profits closed, because we pivoted quickly and found new sources of funding. As for the rewards, there are many. To see a child step on stage for the first time and perform will bring tears to your eyes when you see the sheer joy on their face. Knowing that some of the 1000s of students that TexARTS academy has educated have gone on to careers in the arts. Providing a place to escape for a few hours to enjoy music, embrace new ideas, laugh, cry to just emote. And, to be a place that hires and supports artists.

How did your experience as Mayor of Lakeway prepare you for your current role at TexARTS?

I had served on the TexARTS Board of Directors 6 years prior to my 2-terms as Mayor of Lakeway. During my time as Mayor, I built the Police Station, created the 20 year comprehensive plan, and lead the city during the COVID-19 pandemic. I built quite a few relationships, a strong understanding of the construction & permitting processes , and the knowledge of the Hotel Occupancy Tax regulations. This knowledge helped us as we purchased, designed, permitted, and renovated our new facility.

Can you share more about the fundraising efforts that led to the purchase of TexARTS' forever home?

We have raised $2.6M towards our $5M goal to fund the purchase, renovations and operations for our new home. We have been fortunate to have the City of Lakeway and Lakeway Civic Corporation behind us. Many of our long term donors have made larger donations to help support these efforts. Our business community has been helping as well. We of course can use some more support to reach the rest of our goal. WWW.tex-arts.org

Can you tell us more about the upcoming production of Anything Goes?

Anything Goes is the first show in our new theatre. As we were finishing construction, we were loading-in the production of Anything Goes. It was the first time that the Lighting designer (Lucinda Culver) and Sound designer (Seth Ellington) used the new equipment and space., which creates its challenges and opportunities. Our Scenic designer (Theada Haining) and Technical Director (Reilly J Ryan) were designing and building the set before the space was finished. In 2.5 weeks our actors and musicians learned the show, cleaned it and debuted to a sold-out house. Within the first days of rehearsal the harmonies were dialed-in under the musical direction of Megan Pritchett. Tyler Soares also did an amazing job costume designing for the show. But all of this would not have happened without the leadership and vision of Chris Shin (Director & Choreographer), Miranda Lynn O'Connor (Stage Manage) & Evan Carlson (Assistant Choreographer). Audiences are walking away saying that it is the best production TexARTS has done and better than some productions they have seen in NY & LA. That is what happens when you have the best creative team and an incredible cast and musicians.

What has it been like directing and choreographing Anything Goes and what audiences can expect?

Chris Shin is our Director and Choreographer for Anything Goes. He did an absolutely phenomenal job with this production. He heralds from the Boston & New York areas and is currently the Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Choreography at Emerson College. He holds an MFA in Musical Theatre from SDSU and a BFA in Theatre from NYU. From Chris Shin: Getting to direct/choreograph Anything Goes is a thrilling beast! You always want to keep the show moving so you earn both the moments of the intimate, vulnerable love songs to the full on production numbers with exuberant dancing. My goal with this process was to build a structure of blocking and choreography so the actors could play and build their own interpretation of their individual characters. It was important to me that everyone in the room had a reason for being on the ship down to any unnamed characters in the ensemble. Given how intimate the space at TexARTS is, I wanted the audience to feel like they knew something about every single character. The amazing collaboration with the actors only got reinforced and stronger as we synthesized with the work of the designers. We all learned so much about this new space during this process. I am proud that this group of artists not only laid down the groundwork, but also set a very high standard for future productions here at the new TexARTS theatre!

Why must audiences come and see the show?

First off, come see "Anything Goes" for the amazing songs of Cole Porter which include the hits "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top," "Friendship," and "It's De-Lovely". This 2022 Revision has twice as much dance music as the 1962 version. Secondly, TexARTS is an Actors Equity theatre that attracts top talent nationwide to produce an intimate experience in its 100 seat theatre. This inaugural production in our new theatre has elevated the production value with a new sound system, lighting equipment and expansive set. (Box Office Information - Call: 512-852-9079 or Email: boxoffice@tex-arts.org)

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