As an associate professor at Louisiana Tech University, Paul Crook embraces the world of theatre. When he is not teaching his acting and directing courses, recruiting and directing for the Theatre program, or supervising student-directing projects, you may find him working on some of his personal projects. That work may be for the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, where he served as an Associate Artistic Director, or The B & B Theatre, a company that he formed with his wife, Mary Fran. Throughout his teaching career, Paul has also worked as a Director of Theatre Arts for Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA, and a Distance Educator for the University of Alabama in the Department of Theatre and Dance. He is also a member of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, where he serves as Chair of the Keynote Emerging Artist of Promise (KEAP) Committee and Vice-Chair of the College and University Division. As part of his work for SETC, Paul writes occasionally for the “SETC News” and Southern Theatre magazine. With just a snapshot of his career accomplishments, it is easy to see that Paul loves to share his passion for theatre and strives to help it grow. Paul would love for kids to learn to “Embrace the creative in the world. The study of the arts--all arts--is pleasurable in and of itself, but the talents and skills for creative, critical, and analytical thinking that are honed through that study are vital in life. By embracing the creative, we learn to look at the world through a new lens each day, seeking to maximize our experiences in that world.” Paul has acted and directed in theaters around the nation and we are honored to have him as a teacher at this years Summer Arts Camp. Early registration for this year’s camps is now available. Interested participants can register by calling 318-255-1450 or picking up a form from the Dixie Center for the Arts (212 N. Vienna, Ruston, LA).

A portion of the Summer Arts Camp is sponsored by a grant from Entergy as well as donations from NCLAC’s Pick Your Picasso campaign. PYP is a campaign that provides scholarships to twenty-five students to attend the arts camp in their parish for free.