Theatre Staff

Ira David Wood III
Executive and Artistic Director

Founder and Executive Director of Raleigh’s Theatre In The Park. A graduate of The University NC School of the Arts, he was raised in Enfield, NC and became his hometown’s first Eagle Scout. Summers during his college years were spent as a leading actor in The Lost Colony, the oldest outdoor drama in the country. While there, David premiered his first original play, Um Dilly.  Upon graduation, he became the first Theatre Arts Consultant for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. A year later, he became Director of The Children’s Theatre of Raleigh and immediately set about the task of broadening the organization’s scope. During this process, the organization established a home in Raleigh’s Pullen Park Armory, changed its name to Theatre In The Park, and quickly becoming the largest community theatre in North Carolina.

He wrote and directed the Opening Ceremonies for the Summer Olympic Festival - the largest single event ever held in North Carolina.  He directed the premiere production of the outdoor drama, First For Freedom, in Halifax, NC.  His original production, A Capitol Idea, was the highlight of Raleigh’s Bicentennial celebration.  Four of his original productions have aired on WRAL-TV.  Two of his original plays (Eros & Illinois and Requiem For A King) have had extended runs Off-Broadway.  His script, Requiem For A King, has been optioned by Motown Productions.

He has often been credited with raising the bar of theatrical excellence in the Triangle area, as well as initiating dynamic outreach programming now adopted by many other theatre organizations. When Memorial Auditorium sat largely unused and undervalued, David produced the first series of theatrical productions on its stage, beginning a process of rediscovery and expansion which eventually resulted in the renovation and expansion that has resulted in the current Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. In honor of his many achievements, Raleigh’s City Council voted unanimously to rename the theatre’s facility “The Ira David Wood III Pullen Park Theatre.”  In September of 2010, he was inducted in the Raleigh Hall of Fame.

For The North Carolina Theatre, David’s starring roles include:  Don Quixote in Man Of La Mancha (3 productions), Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Georges in La Cage, Fagin in Oliver, The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, Harold in The Full Monty, Mrs. Lynch in Grease, and Captain von Trapp in The Sound Of Music.

A partial list of honors include:  The Order of the Long Leaf Pine (State of NC), The Halifax Resolves Award (Halifax County Historical Association), The Morrison Award (Roanoke Island Historical Association), Distinguished Alumni Award (UNCSA), & the Builder of Bridges Award (Babcock Center Foundation).  He has been presented three keys to The City of Raleigh and honorary citizenship awards from Columbia, SC and Compiegne, France.

Consistently voted Best Local Actor in decades of public opinion polls, David has managed to accumulate impressive film and television credits, having appeared on screen with such stars as Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Neil Patrick Harris, Cliff Robertson, Matthew Modine, James Earl Jones, Burt Reynolds and Louise Fletcher.

Though his list of acclaimed theatre roles is unrivaled in our area, David is probably best known and loved for annually portraying the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in his own musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which celebrates its 38th year of consecutive production this December. With three international tours to its credit, and having played to over one million people, the production is now cited as “... one of the most successful shows in North Carolina theater history.”

David is the author of A Lover’s Guide To The Outer Banks and the recently released Confessions Of An Elf.  He is also a contributing author to Murder In Dealey Plaza: What We Know Now That We Didn’t Know Then.  An award-winning playwright, David’s additional stage works continue to be produced throughout the United States. (Most recently, his musical Briarpatch enjoyed a very successful run this past summer at the renowned Casa Manana theatre in Ft. Worth, Texas.)  

The proud father of two talented young people, Evan Rachel Wood and Ira David Wood IV, David and his wife, Ashley, are expecting a baby boy in July.

Ashley Wood  |  Executive Assistant

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2000

Graduated in 1994 from Salem College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She came to Theatre In The Park after several years of working in advertising.

Stephen J. Larson  |  Technical Director

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2000

Steve has designed more than 325 productions, including concerts, opera, and theatre over a period of 40 years. His credits include: Off-Broadway NYC, Katmandu; Regional theatre: Southern Repertory Theatre, The Contemporary Arts Center, and Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre in New Orleans; Shakespeare Theatre, Washington, D.C.; Theatre In The Park: The Lion In Winter, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Faraway Nearby, Hamlet, An American Daughter, MacBeth, Noises Off, Of Mice and Men, Angels In America, The Man in the Desert, Briarpatch, and On Golden Pond.

A college professor for 27 years, Steve taught and designed at Campbell University, The University of New Orleans, Tulane University, Fort Hays (KS) State University, Emporia (KS) State University, Mary Washington College (VA), and Tarkio College (MO). His art direction and television credits include The Rest of the Oyster, 9mm, Kumbuka, and Article 24.

He holds an M.F.A. from Tulane University and retired from the U.S. Army Reserves in 2004 after 20+ years of honorable service. At the time of his retirement, he was an instructor in still video photography for a combat camera unit. He served overseas in Germany and during Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, and was mobilized to train cameramen during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jeff Nugent  |  Master Carpenter

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2008

For Jeff, it started out innocently enough: "We're starting up a theatre troupe. Want to build us a set? And, oh yeah, can you act?" Thirteen years later, it's still a great experience. Originally from New Hampshire, and following a lengthy tour of duty in the US Army, Jeff has been onstage and backstage with the talented folks at the Towne Players of Garner, Neuse little Theatre, Cary Players, Cary Playwrights Forum, and right here at "home" at TIP. He is the proud father of two very outstanding sons, and enjoys, among other things, theatre!

Erin West  |  Financial Director

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2006

After wearing several hats at Theatre In The Park, including volunteer, backstage crew, costume dresser, stage manager, office manager, and box office manager, Erin settled into the role of Financial Director in 2011. Having a largely retail and alternative health care support background, she has enjoyed the challenge of this new role and the opportunity to learn new things everyday. Erin loves live theatre, live music, and anything that puts her closer to animals. A native of Connecticut, she is always ready to cheer on the Lady Huskies against any ACC team. Erin lives in Durham and does not like talking about herself in third person.

Brent Simpson  |  Marketing Director

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2005

Brent Simpson came to Theatre In The Park after 15 years in the telecommunications industry, working for companies such as MCI, Global Crossing, and Verizon. He is a 2007 graduate of Campbell University and holds a degree in Social Science. Brent not only enjoys working behind the scenes at Theatre In The Park, but has also been seen on stage in Ira David Wood III’s A Christmas Carol as the Baker and Mr. Fezziwig. Other TIP credits include Romeo and Juliet and Angels in America. While away from Theatre In The Park, Brent enjoys attending local theatre productions, reading, movies, and travel.

Thomas Porter  |  Marketing Associate

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2007

BFA Theatre Arts East Carolina University. Some of the shows on stage at TIP include Pageant (Deep South); Lion In Winter (John); Dearly Beloved (Justin). Other shows around the Triangle include – Dog Sees God (Beethoven – Best Supporting Performance 2011 Independent Weekly), Bent (Rudy), God’s Country (Halprin, et.al) at Raleigh Ensemble Players; A Chorus Line (NCT); One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Billy) Raleigh Little Theatre; National Tour of Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Hobbies include traveling, theme parks, history, board games, and taking aerial silk classes.

Cody Cunningham  |  Media and Graphic Design

Theatre In The Park appointment: 2011

Cody is responsible for digital media, graphic design, web development, and information technology at Theatre In The Park. He comes to North Carolina from Illinois, where he was Artistic Director of the Arts4equality Theatre Ensemble in Chicago. Cody is an accomplished musician and music director and has helmed such productions as Into the Woods, Zanna Don’t!, Thrill Me, and served as assistant music director on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Cody holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a directing emphasis, and minors in English and Music from Western Illinois University, where he studied piano with Dr. Jeffrey Brown. Cody is a freelance composer/arranger/copyist and a member of the American Federation of Musicians, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society. His work has been seen throughout the Midwest, as well as Beijing and Shanghai. As a performer, favorite credits include The King and I, All Shook Up, Miss Saigon, Othello, and MacBeth.

Board of Directors

Jeffery H. Richardson, President; Robin Diehl Boyd; Christopher Coby; Donna Cullen; Gary Gardenhire; Patty Gardenhire; Andy Goetz; Dr. Robert Harris; David Henderson; Pam Huck; Debbie Laney; Ed Martin; Katie Martin; Patricia Mercer; Brooke Miller; David Moore; Carnessa Ottelin; Adrienne Pender; Mike Raab; Robert J. Ramseur, Jr; Tim Ruffin; Li-Chun Young

Board of Associates

Van Eure; Larry Stogner; Della Basnight; Candace Covington-Olander; Rufus Edmisten; Bob Hatley; Lisa Hood; John Jernigan; Arnold Lynch; James Maynard; Mrs. Larry Monteith; Dr. Craig Phillips; Jack Radford; Bernie Reeves; Dr. Larry Wheeler; Smedes York