Vida Finley
Nashville
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Classroom Associate/Permanent Substitute Teacher
MNPS
11.2024 - Current
- Go to assigned classrooms of absent teachers and fulfill teaching duties per the MNPS curriculum for grades PreK – 5, maintain classroom and monitor behavior.
Summer Teaching Artist/Workshop Facilitator
Metro Parks
06.2024 - 06.2025
- Developed educational programs that engaged audiences of all ages, promoting a lifelong love of the arts within the community.
- Planned and wrote fun and creative theatre programming and workshops for summer youth camp, implemented an environment for youth to design and invest in their own theatrical productions
Executive Artistic Director
Dream 7 Theatre Productions
02.2020 - 04.2025
- Manage non-profit African American theatre company, including long-range planning, fund-raising, planning theatrical season, serve as Project Coordinator and grant writer for awarded Metro Arts Council Thrive Grant as well as managing $42,000 annual budget utilizing MS Excel.
- Director, Story Consultant, Co-Playwright of WESU – July 2023-Present
- Producer and Co-Playwright of The Last Chance Texaco - April 2023-April
- Director and Co-Playwright of Music City Jubilee - July 2021-June 2022
- Director of Midtncy - September 2021
- Co-Facilitator and Co-Panelist at the National Women’s Theatre Festival focusing on women leading and directing – June 2023
- Developed and nurtured community partnerships with Metro Parks Theatre Division, Metro Nashville Public Library, The Scarritt-Bennett Center, Mount Gilead Baptist Church, Metro Arts Council, Global Education Center, and Kennie Playhouse Theatre
- Directed artistic vision for productions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and audience engagement.
- Collaborated with production teams to develop innovative concepts and enhance overall performance quality.
- Managed budgeting and resource allocation for multiple projects, optimizing costs while maintaining artistic integrity.
- Mentored emerging artists and staff, fostering professional growth and enhancing team capabilities in creative processes.
- Established partnerships with local organizations, expanding community outreach and increasing audience diversity.
- Oversaw marketing strategies to promote productions, significantly improving ticket sales and brand visibility.
- Evaluated production outcomes, implementing feedback for continuous improvement in future performances.
- Cultivated a collaborative environment among multidisciplinary teams to drive creative excellence across all projects.
- Evaluated performance metrics to identify areas for improvement, guiding organizational change when necessary.
- Championed diversity and inclusion initiatives, creating a more welcoming environment for all performers and staff members.
- Led the organization to increased annual revenue through strategic partnerships and donor cultivation.
- Oversaw talent acquisition efforts, attracting top-tier artists to join the company''s roster of performers.
- Established a strong brand identity for the organization, reinforcing its reputation as a leading arts institution in the region.
- Collaborated with other arts organizations to create joint productions, increasing visibility within the community.
- Oversaw budget management, ensuring fiscal responsibility and sustainability of the organization.
- Managed successful grant applications, securing necessary funding for organizational operations and growth opportunities.
- Nurtured an environment conducive to creativity by investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment upgrades for rehearsal spaces and performance venues.
Disability Claims Examiner 2
DHS/Disability Determination Section
04.2005 - 06.2024
- Adjudicated disability claims for the state of Tennessee under the supervision of Social Security Administration; worked with diverse persons including SNAP recipients, Women, and Children to obtain information about their disability claims; scheduled exams, read medical records, and worked with multiple computer operating systems.
Assistant Creative Director, Community Liaison, & Board Secretary
Lakewood Theatre Co.
07.2014 - 05.2018
- Stage managed, directed, and produced over a dozen shows, including Fences, Barefoot in the Park, Something’s Up Maybe and Somebody’s Baby; Obtained performance rights for shows from Dramatist Play Service, Samuel French, Dramatist Publishing, Playscripts, Assisted with Children’s Theatre camps and worked Box Office.
Education
B.A. - Speech & Theater Communications
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TNSkills
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Brand Management
- Arts Advocacy
- Fundraising
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
- Poised under pressure
- Voice Acting
- Dance and Singing experience
- Broadway Actor, 1997
Timeline
Classroom Associate/Permanent Substitute Teacher
MNPS
11.2024 - Current
Summer Teaching Artist/Workshop Facilitator
Metro Parks
06.2024 - 06.2025
Executive Artistic Director
Dream 7 Theatre Productions
02.2020 - 04.2025
Assistant Creative Director, Community Liaison, & Board Secretary
Lakewood Theatre Co.
07.2014 - 05.2018
Disability Claims Examiner 2
DHS/Disability Determination Section
04.2005 - 06.2024
B.A. - Speech & Theater Communications
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Teaching Artist Experience
- Music City Jubilee Theatre and Dance Workshop, Head Magnet School, Nashville, TN, May 2022
- Music City Jubilee Theatre Workshop, Cumberland University, Lebanon, TN, March 2022
- “Poetry at the Parthenon”, Mixed Media Immersive Art (“Kindred Links”), Parthenon Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2022
- Teaching Artist, Wolftrap, Nashville Institute for the Arts, Knoxville & Nashville, TN, August 1991-October 1998
- Southeast Institute for Education in Theatre (SIET), University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, TN, led instruction for 800 TN educators; wrote Theatre Arts curriculum & performed; January-June 1991
- Teaching Artist, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Nashville, TN; January 1990-June 2003.