About Us

• Donna Park
Founder/Executive Director

Donna's love for the stage began at the very young age of four when she danced with Fernando Schaffenburg at TCU. During her very first dance recital, it was then that she realized she had the gift of directing - telling each dancer where they should be and what they were doing wrong!

Since that time, Donna sang and toured with the Texas Girls' Choir of Fort Worth, and danced with the likes of Holliman and Howard, Bruce Lea, and Diane West dance studios. She caught the acting bug in high school and continued to pursue the stage in college by earning a minor in Theatre at TCU. Along the way, Donna appeared in I Remember Mama, Anything Goes, Blithe Spirit, Guys & Dolls, Oklahoma!, Songwriter, Godspell, Once Upon a Mattress, Of Thee I Sing, and more.

From community and summer stock theatres to metroplex stages, Donna enjoyed the pursuit of the stage - but it wasn't enough.

Also while at TCU, Donna earned a BFA in Radio/Television/Film. It was here that she found a way to combine her love of performing and the arts, with a lucrative career. For 20 years, Donna worked in broadcast and corporate television as a successful producer/director/writer. From commercials and broadcast programming, to corporate marketing and communication, Donna soared to the top of her field. Broadcast programming credits included Hot, Hip, and Country - a country-western music entertainment program, and Designing Texas and Designing America - local and national programs on interior design and home improvement. An impressive corporate client list included Brinker International, Blockbuster Entertainment, Nokia, EDS, Frito Lay, and more. Along her journey, Donna has collaborated with some of the most talented actors, directors, writers, makeup artists, dancers, and musicians in the area. Texas Theatre Academy is pleased to be able to leverage from many of these relationships and bring their expertise to you!

Staff List

• BJ Cleveland
Artistic Director; Theatre Arlington - has over 350 shows under his belt as Actor, Director, and Choreographer including regional, national, and international tours. He is the Artistic Director of Theatre Arlington and an adjunct professor for the University of Texas – Arlington Theatre Arts Department. Cleveland has appeared on almost every metroplex stage including Casa Manana, StageWest, Theatre Arlington, and more. He was a household name for many years as television host of BJ and the Super Ones’ Disney Afternoon. Additional film and television credits include periodic appearances on the NBC series The Facts Of Life. Robert Altman’s film STREAMERS, and host of Route 66 on the Discovery Channel. He recently received the Dallas/Fort worth Critics Forum Award as Best Actor, and has been voted Best Actor several times by the Fort Worth Star Telegram, FW Weekly, and Best of Dallas 2007 by the Dallas Observer. He has received the Lifetime Achievement award by the Live Theatre League of Tarrant County, SPJST, and Distinguished Alumni of TCC; and the Circle of Success award from the American Business Women’s Association, as well as being nominated twice by the Star-Telegram as Arlington’s Man of the Year. He serves on the advisory board of the AIDS Outreach center of Tarrant County and teaches outreach programs with underprivileged children at Title 1 schools in the Arlington Independent School District.

• David Coffee
Broadway & Local Actor - has been entertaining national audiences for over 40 years! Beginning on the stage of Fort Worth’s Casa Manana, Coffee has created unforgettable characters and performances in places such as Tennessee, Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, and California. He’s well known for his classic “Spanky-takes,” is a member of SAG, AEA, and AFTRA, and has played Scrooge over 20 times in his career. Texas Theatre Academy is honored to have such a talented professional on our staff.

• Valerie Wilhelm
- Dance Choreographer/Consultant

• Travis Britton
- Jr. Acting Coach

 

Copyright EveryBody Fits - 2005 All rights reserved.