GREENEVILLE – An experienced theater professional who has performed and worked behind the scenes in productions in Greeneville for the last five years has been named Tusculum University’s director of arts outreach.
Beth Schnura stands by the piano on the stage of the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre in Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center at Tusculum University.
Beth Schnura has served as a freelance director and lighting technician for Theatre-at-Tusculum and the Greeneville Theatre Guild since 2018. Earlier in her career, she served for seven years as auditorium coordinator at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox, Illinois, where she directed more than 20 plays and seven musicals.
Schnura succeeds Marilyn duBrisk, who retired as Tusculum’s director of arts outreach in 2020.
“We are excited to have Beth’s talent and enthusiasm as we continue our record of outstanding arts programming and strong connections to communities and schools throughout the region,” said Wayne Thomas, dean of Tusculum’s College of Civic and Liberal Arts. “Our arts outreach program has played a vital part in the promotion and growth of cultural enrichment, and we are committed to continuing to enhance the quality of life in East Tennessee.”
Among Schnura’s accomplishments at Lincoln-Way West were developing an afterschool theater club and an organization called All Things Theatre, which had more than 100 members. She participated in club fundraisers and mentored students to build on their interests in directing, lighting design and stage management. She also developed Summer Theatre Camp for students from the community who were in grades 6-8.
She is skilled in lighting design, basic sound, set building and painting, costumes and props, directing, stage management, front-of-house management, fundraising and program development.
Schnura welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the civic engagement element of the university’s mission through extensive community relationships.
“After volunteering with Theatre-At-Tusculum and Greeneville Theatre Guild, I have seen firsthand how important Tusculum Arts Outreach is to this community,” Schnura said. “The support for the arts in Greeneville and the surrounding area is unmatched. This program has been an integral part of many lives for decades, and the chance to be member of the team to continue the legacy is a dream come true. Music, theater and dance have been my whole life – from performing to directing to teaching – and to now have the opportunity to bring my passions to Tusculum is a wonderful new chapter in my life.”
Schnura said she and the remainder of the Tusculum Arts Outreach team have many ideas to bring all forms of the arts to the community. But the group will respect the traditions that have brought together a wide variety of talent to benefit the community.
Tusculum’s community outreach includes GLAWPIGT, an acronym for Great Literature Alive Well Playing in Greeneville, Tennessee. This is a group for students in grades 3-12 who meet at Tusculum to study performance and inspire other students to find excitement and interest in reading.
In addition to its work with teachers in local school systems, Tusculum has one of the most extensive costume shops in the region. The university has shared costumes with local schools, community arts groups and theaters as well as provided guidance to programs in need.
“You are never too young or too old to learn, and we have so much to learn from each other,” Schnura said. “It is what make us good and compassionate human beings. I am thrilled to be a part of the Tusculum family as we all work together to create, teach and excel as one.”
Schnura holds an Associate of Arts in music and theatre from Joliet Junior College in Illinois and a Bachelor of Arts in musical theatre performance from Columbia College in Chicago.
For more information, please visit https://arts.tusculum.edu/ or call 423-798-1620. Additional details about the university are available at www.tusculum.edu.