Today we’d like to introduce you to Dianne Tucker.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a playwright, storyteller, lyricist, and creative writing teacher. I come from a strong oral tradition, and as a small child, was fascinated by watching my grandmother enchant my friends. My friends were focused on the story; I was entranced by the storyteller. What was grandmother doing, changing her voice like that, her face?
In schools, I excelled at English/Language Arts classes and theatre classes but had no desire to perform myself. The stage was not calling me, the stories were. I began making up stories, then plays, casting my friends and putting on shows on my grandmother’s large front porch on Saturday mornings. I earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UNT and SMU. I accepted jobs in large corporate environments in Human Resources. And I spent all my free time writing, always planning my escape from corporate America.
One play consumed me for years. If only I could see it on stage just once. I submitted the script to several local theatres and heard nothing from anyone, except Curtis King at the Black Academy. He called coincidentally on my birthday. Told me he loved the script, encouraged me to keep writing. Though the Black Academy did not produce the play, I was sooooo encouraged, that he actually read it. He actually liked it. He called me. I think I floated for days.
Eventually, we formed the Dallas Drama Company, a non-profit community theatre organization. I was one of the founders and, for ten years, the artistic director. We produced only original works by local artists, and we compensated every performer, also providing ongoing training, workshops, nurturing, encouraging, developing new artists. Later, I co-owned and operated Tuckers Blues, a live entertainment venue in Deep Ellum which closed in 2013. Today, I continue to write, following those stories that refuse to leave me, and sharing those stories, in songs, plays, short stories, and one on one. Seeking those moments my grandmother created so effortlessly, where the teller, the hearers, and the tale are one.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The usual struggling artists issues were always evident. How do I do what I love and eat too? No one was lining up to pay me to write, hence the years in Corporate HR. I became, or maybe I always was, a workaholic. Kept full-time HR management positions all while running a small non-profit. Kept thinking that providing for other new artists what I wanted for myself would free my own aspirations. But noooo… work all day, work all night. Dallas Drama Company was wonderful, but the administrative responsibilities left me no time to write. The very thing I wanted most kept getting further away. I was bogged down in grant writing, board meetings, ticket sales, etc. What writing I did was never as strong as I knew it could be.
Tuckers’ Blues was like that, too. Though I no longer worked in an HR position by the time the club opened in 2009, the club challenges were unending work, long, late hours, constant customer service mgmt, and little financial reward. And far more bureaucracy than I’d imagined. I assumed we’d get a building, get a liquor license, get entertainers and staff, stock the bar and open the doors, but nooooo. We had to obtain a dance permit, then permits to hang our outdoor signs, which must not exceed these specific dimensions, etc. Then, fire inspectors, insurances, security, and alarms, oh my! We had to get a permit to get a permit.
I can not mention these challenges without acknowledging the glorious rewards at DDC and Tuckers Blues: working with exceptionally talented people all the time, creating these family-like units that loved working together, and creating memories of magical nights where audiences roared their approval, artists showed their work at its best, and everything just clicked. Those golden moments last longer than money.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a writer, teacher, and public speaker. I am most proud of the lives we have impacted with DDC and Tuckers’ Blues. Artists often tell me about the impact of our work together on their confidence, their artistry. Perhaps that was always the mission. What sets our work apart is this bonding, establishing strong loving bonds and open communication with everyone in the workplace, creating an environment where people want to work, feel valued, happy, and supported. With DDC and Tuckers Blues, everyone who worked with us on opening night was still working with us on closing night, from the bar back to the servers, to the custodian to every performer onstage. When the club closed at night, we’d often have to ask employees to leave, flashing the lights, threatening to lock them inside. Same thing with DDC. We never had a permanent home and often used DCCCD college performance halls like Richland or El Centro for our productions. We had many readings at my home, and hours after the work was done, actors and singers were still sprawled all over the floor, feeling at home. A local singer Kerrie Lepai, just posted today on FB, how much she misses that Tuckers Blues energy. Me too. That energy. That collaborative, healing, heartening space we co-create, that’s what I’m most proud of.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
With Tuckers Blues, I’d probably look for a location outside of Deep Ellum. Having no free parking after 5 pm and very limited public parking spaces at any time, were big challenges, along with nasty little practices of booting and towing cars, and charging exorbitant fees.
With DDC, I’d have had a stronger more engaged board, would have solicited volunteers, etc. so the workload was not so overwhelming. Overall, there is not much I’d change. I have a strong sense of divine synchronicity. Everything is happening exactly as it should, moment to moment.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
