From the suburbs of New Jersey to the foothills of North Carolina, a powerhouse pair of creative minds began their theatrical journey on the heels of Hurricane Hugo as “Image Players” at West Caldwell High School in 1989. Today, they’re directing one of the most beloved shows around; Steve Martin & Edie Brickell’s Bright Star.

You, Carol Anne, and Hickory Arts have always been there to help with anything Caroline (or Cassidy) has needed, and we value your partnership in raising up Caroline and preparing her for a lifetime of loving the arts.

Bullying can be incremental. It can stare you in the face. It can hide behind a screen or an institution. It feasts on inaction. It can hold you hostage. It can manifest as guilt. It can, it can, it can until we can't.

I'm so blessed to have been able to work with Shannon Underwood for almost a decade on acting, voice, songwriting, recording, life—you name it!

Mom's painting is everything Dad wanted to be and everything Dad wanted for me, crafted by the person we cherished most.

I can now officially announce I’m going to be moving to Orlando and working for a company that I’ve always wanted to work for

I opened Hickory Arts for Shannon and then, of course, for the very purpose of allowing time to develop closer, surgical bonds with our developing artists.

Sydney, like most (if not all) artists I know, is indeed a perfectionist. What I’ve come to realize and encourage through years of trial and error is that there’s beauty, originality, and style in imperfection. Imperfection is the very thing every artist should explore and exploit. But that’s a blog for another day.

Meeting Shannon, investing in her as an everything artist at Hickory Arts, more importantly as a friend, is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.

Hickory Arts Artistic Director Jeff Hartman was surprised on Thursday, June 18, 2015, with a Paul Harris Fellowship as approved by the Rotary Club of Hickory Board of Directors, nominated by Rotarian John Rambo.

Audition Etiquette for Actors has become required reading for Hickory Arts’ developing artists. The industry is polluted at every level with those who underestimate the impact of their behavior as much as those who “apathize” or tolerate anything less than decorum.

There is an art to ethics in, well, art—the business of art. Any working artist knows that for every step you take, you must take two more for the business of you and your art. It’s inescapable. Enter ethics and etiquette.

Dustin Ousley asked me to rate the top five roles he’s played. Since “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players…”

Why we do what we do the way we do it. From Tiffany Faucette, Singer/Songwriter.

We’re frequently asked for college recommendations, especially for theatre arts. All recommendations are subjective and first-hand—instructors, former students, and colleagues.