The Best in Live Professional Theatre, Music & Dance

Our Team the faces that make it happen!

Staff

Cleo Holladay
Co-Founder/President not-for-profit Dixie Theatre Foundation

Cleo began her professional career in 1952 when she and her future husband, Rex Partington, were members of the Memphis Arena Theatre resident company. She was the winner of the Barter Theatre Virginia Award and was selected by Mary Martin for the Barter National Award.

She appeared on Broadway in Lunatics and Lovers, in the original disaster film Airport and in Granada TV’s acclaimed Brideshead Revisited. She enjoyed a long and happy engagement at the Old Log Theater in Excelsior, Minnesota.

Here at the Dixie Theatre she has appeared in Leaving Iowa, Murderers, A Nice Family Gathering, Driving Miss Daisy, Everybody Loves Opal, Steel Magnolias, Kimberly Akimbo and Love Letters to name a few. She has directed Dixie Theatre productions of Love Letters, Same Time, Next Year, I Ought To Be In Pictures, Always,..Patsy Cline, Sylvia, Rounding Third and the world premiere of My Nobel Destiny among others.

Jerry Hall
Vice President not-for-profit Dixie Theatre Foundation

Originally from Xenia Ohio, Jerry was a Navy man and moved to Florida in 1975. Finding his way to Apalachicola in 1984, Jerry is one of the Founding Fathers of the resurgence of Apalach. He is involved in numerous businesses and restaurants and serves as one of the full-time, unpaid volunteers that keep the Dixie Theatre alive…he is not affiliated in any way with MainStreet.

Dixie Partington
Co-Founder/Producing Director/Sec.-Treas. not-for-profit Dixie Theatre Foundation

Dixie appeared last on the Dixie Theatre stage as Debra in Kimberly Akimbo and Mom in Leaving Iowa. Some other memorable productions here include: Sylvia, Always…Patsy Cline, Smoke On The Mountain, A Nice Family Gathering, Murderers, Everybody Loves Opal, Steel Magnolias and Love Letters. Another favorite role was playing Bernie L. Moore in the Burning Issues series for BLM-Dept. of the Interior.

Credits include Barter Theatre, Olde West Dinner Theatre, CLIMB Theatre Company, Old Log Theater and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

Ms. Partington has been a proud member of AEA for 30+ years and studied at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Ltd. in London as well as the Drama Studio London at Berkeley in California. She is also certified by the Society of American Fight Directors.

Ms. Partington serves as the full-time professional volunteer Producing Director here at the Dixie as well as volunteering in the community as Franklin CAG Chair and CME Vice Chair of the Nationally designated Big Bend Scenic Byway, she served 10 years on the Traffic Safety Committee for Apalachicola & Franklin County. A proud member and strong supporter/volunteer of the Apalachicola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce since 1993, Dixie spent several years working with Garlick Environmental Associates and Riverlily as well as teaching Dog Obedience for 15 years and is the creator of OYSTERBONES®, Delicious Dog Biscuits made with world famous Apalachicola Bay Oyster shells.

Rex Partington
Founding Producing Director

Rex was brought up in New York City and served in Europe with the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. In 1950 he graduated from Syracuse University and began his professional career as an actor at the Barter Theatre of Virginia.

His Broadway debut was in Lunatics and Lovers in 1954. He appeared in or stage managed six Broadway plays including the original New York productions of The Matchmaker and My Fair Lady. From its opening in 1963 he served as Production Manager of the world renowned Guthrie Theatre in Minnesota for 5 years. Following that he founded his own touring company, Heartland Productions. From 1969 until 1971 he was Managing Artistic Director of the Cleveland Playhouse. In 1972 he became Producing Artistic Director of the Barter Theatre, a position he held until his retirement in 1993.

Mr. Partington, long known as “The Last Great Gentleman of the Theatre”, was Producing Artistic Director of the Dixie Theatre from its Inaugural Season in 1998 until the end of 2003, at which time he became a consultant and remained so until his death on March 17, 2006.

Elisabeth Mooney
Box Office

Elisabeth is eager to spend her first season at the Dixie Theatre! With travels that span over 15 countries, she is excited to have found the beautiful town of Apalachicola to hang her hat for a while. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Sam Houston State University at the age of twenty in 2014 and is now enrolled at the University of Florida to pursue a master’s degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. She spends her free time volunteering and working on her photography skills.

Bob Inguaguato
All Things Bar

Bob is a retired Director of Education for a Fortune 500 company. Bob was born in New York City and he and his wife have lived in some of the nicest places in the U.S. They consider Apalachicola one of them. Bob is co-President of Panhandle Players, a local community theatre group. Although Bob spent most of his life in corporate America he considers the job as Theatre Manager of the Waimea Theatre on the island of Kauai in Hawaii the most fun. Bob is delighted to be “all things bar” at the Dixie Theatre.

Ed Tiley
Playbill

Shannon Dykes
Housekeeping Extraordinaire

Volunteers

Marty Beech
Volunteer Usher

Marty currently lives in Tallahassee and St. George Island, Florida. She grew up in Pennsylvania and Ohio before moving to Florida in 1978. She has been in the field of Education for over 46 years and currently works at the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University as a Research Associate, serving as co-principal investigator for projects involving educational programs for students with disabilities. Marty is looking forward to retirement later in 2012 and will be looking for new adventures. We hope one of those adventures continues to be working with The Dixie.

Denise Callaghan
Volunteer

Vicki Inguaguato
Volunteer