WYNNE — The theater program at Wynne High School has long been recognized for its annual productions.
One graduate of the theater program at Wynne High School is Rick Dildine. Dildine is the son of Beth Dildine Turner and the late Ricky Dildine of Wynne.
Dildine, who attended Ouachita Baptist University, is now the artistic director of the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, which is the largest theater for young people in the country.
“Growing up in the south, I think we have a heightened awareness of people and relationships and so much about what I do is that. It’s working with people and working with artists and it’s been an incredible career.”
Dildine will serve as the director of the Children’s Theatre Company’s latest production, “Twelve Kinds of Ice.” The show will run from Oct. 13 through Nov. 22. Dildine shares more about the show.
“It’s based on a children’s book and it is about a father and daughter and their annual tradition of flooding their backyard in the winter and turning it into a backyard ice rink. This is something that’s totally foreign to me growing up in Arkansas. We could never imagine freezing our backyard like that for days, weeks, months at a time but this is a tradition up north. In Minnesota, many families will turn their backyards into backyard ice rinks.”
Dildine said his experience at Wynne High School was “life changing.” However, he said he’s worried about arts programs being eliminated across the country.
“When I was in school growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, we regularly had access to the arts in schools. What we’re seeing around the country, though, is a loss of that. I think the arts are incredibly important. Not to make future artists, but what the arts teach us is how to listen, understand, how to be creative, collaborate with other people. It gives us appreciation for nature. I think that’s one of the key things I’ve learned being an artist.”
