Feature: UPSTAGE 2026: FUNDING DREAMS, REWRITING THE SCRIPT at Stage 13

*Article by Emma Bertram*

Stage 13 may have started with 13 people, but it has taken a whole community to build it.

Friends, families, students, donors, volunteers and artists filled the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center Saturday, August 29, to celebrate just how much the Stage 13 Foundation for Performing Arts has accomplished in its first year.

 The celebration, UpStage 2026, marked the organization’s first anniversary while also looking toward its future. Stage 13 entered the evening with a fundraising goal of $113,000, but by the end of the night, supporters had pushed that total to more than $128,000.

Those funds will help Stage 13 continue its education programs, provide scholarships and create even more opportunities for young artists across Arkansas.

 For Stage 13 Co-Executive Directors Alyson Courtney and Warren McCullough, the evening was both a chance to look back at how far the organization has come and to look ahead at where it hopes to go.

“Saturday night was one of those moments when you look around the room and realize just how much can happen in a year. Stage 13 started with 13 people willing to take a risk and a community that almost immediately stepped up and said, ‘We believe in this.’ To celebrate our first year surrounded by our students, families, teaching artists, donors, sponsors, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott and so many of the people who helped make it possible was incredibly special. But UpStage was never intended to just celebrate what we’ve accomplished. It was about what comes next. We have big dreams for the young artists we serve, for arts education and for what the performing arts can become in Arkansas. Saturday night reminded us that there are a whole lot of people in this community who are ready to dream big right alongside us,” Courtney and McCullough said.

But fundraising was only part of the night. The event also recognized the people who have given their time, money and talents to Stage 13 since its beginning. Guests shared dinner and heard about the organization’s first year while young artists performed for the people who helped provide those opportunities.

 The Will Feland Family, Laura and Dr. Tucker Patterson, Anne and Dr. Ralph Broadwater and Bob Bidewell served as honorary hosts for the evening, and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. was also in attendance. Scott spoke about the importance of children having access to the performing arts and shared his support for Stage 13’s work.

Education has remained an important part of the organization from the start. Its first fall education classes were offered to students for free, giving them the chance to explore theatre, music and dance without having to pay for training. Stage 13 also selected 15 high school performing arts students to become part of its pre-professional company.

Saturday night, those young artists weren't simply the reason everyone had gathered. They were an active part of making UpStage happen, taking on roles both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

For Director of Education Bridget Davis, watching the students take ownership of the event was one of the highlights of the celebration.

“What made this entire day so special was also watching our students shine. They performed, volunteered, welcomed guests, gave tours, helped behind the scenes and represented Stage 13 in a way that made us so proud. I say it all the time - we have THE BEST jobs in the world! There is nothing better than watching a student realize that their voice matters, their work matters and there is an entire room of people who believe their dreams are worth investing in. Saturday night was truly magical!” Davis said.

  The evening also recognized someone who has spent much longer than a year helping young performers find their place onstage.

Arkansas director and arts educator Sheridan Posey was honored with the dedication of the Sheridan Posey Performance Center.

Posey thanked the students, parents, families, alumni and others who helped make the new space possible.

“I know that this is not normal. I know that not many people receive the honor of having something they love named after them in their lifetime, and I am deeply, deeply honored,” Posey said.

Posey told the audience that becoming a teacher was not originally what she imagined for herself. Her work as a professional theatre artist continued to put her in front of students, and over time she found herself growing to love teaching.

“I realized that it was the absolute best way to ensure that theater would continue for generations to come,” Posey said.

More than 20 years into her professional theatre career, Posey said the students she has worked with have also shaped the person she has become.

“I can easily say that it is the students, the students who teach me every day how to be a better teacher, a better theater artist, and a better person,” Posey said.

Now, the performance center bearing Posey’s name gives students and artists another place to learn and create together.

“I am so grateful to Stage 13 for championing theater arts education in our state,” Posey said.

Near the end of her speech, Posey brought the audience into a tradition she has shared with hundreds of students and theatre artists throughout her career. She asked the room to repeat a pre-show ritual after her before ending with a message for those who helped make the night possible.

“Thank you everyone, for allowing and helping me and Stage 13 share magic with young theater artists every single day. We are all the playmakers. Thank you so much,” Posey said.

 Those playmakers now extend far beyond the 13 people who started the organization. They are the students who take classes and perform onstage, the parents who encourage them, the teachers who guide them, the volunteers who give their time and the donors who make those opportunities possible.

Together, they have helped turn Stage 13 from an idea shared by 13 Arkansas arts professionals, which include Co-Executive Directors Alyson Courtney and Warren McCullough and Director of Education Bridget Davis, Technical Director Nicholas Bius, Operations Manager April Bartholmey, Head of Hospitality John Broadwater, Special Events Coordinator Austin Rodgers, Associate Director of Education Molly Giles, Education Coordinator Quinn Gasaway, Master Carpenter Paige Carpenter, Sound Engineer Nathan Abshire, Resident Carpenter/Technical Assistant Rex Easter and Resident Prop Master/Scenic Artist Margo Gifford, into a growing part of the state’s performing arts community.

For an organization focused on giving young artists a place to take the stage, Saturday night gave the people standing behind them a chance to see exactly what they helped create.

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