Cookeville Cultural Arts Superintendent Chad McDonald said he is overwhelmed by the honor of being inducted to the Southeastern Theatre Conference Hall of Fame.
Mcdonald has been volunteering to help the conference since 2004. McDonald said the conference helps make Cookeville’s performing arts stronger, while lending his expertise to others.
“Selfishly, I get a lot out of it but I’m able to provide them with a lot of expertise as well,” McDonald said. “Especially in production management. I’m responsible for pre-conference planning and logistics and on-site operations during the conference.”
McDonald said that despite what he brings to the conference, he gets to take plenty back to Cookeville with him.
“I learn a lot while I’m there and I’m able to network and create some lasting partnerships,” McDonald said. “Which help me a lot on my job here with the city.”
McDonald said there are over 4,000 theater professionals and actors at this event. He said CPAC’s Backstage series has seen some of the biggest benefits from attending the conference.
“I’m able to see a lot of shows at once, which I wouldn’t normally be able to do,” McDonald said. “We are able to get ideas for shows that we could do here. A lot of those have been successful.”
While he’s been volunteering since 2004, McDonald said he has been attending since 1999. The SETC Hall of Fame commemorates the achievements and celebrates meaningful contributions to the organization.
