All the world may indeed be a stage for East Surry alumni Robert Reid Goodson. From early steps at the Andy Griffith Playhouse through a masters in theater education from NYU, Goodson has worn quite a few hats which he said is just fine.
“Variety is the spice of life,” he recently said from Rocky Mount. Soon he will uproot himself from North Carolina once again and take on a new challenge as the campaign director for a $15 million renovation of the 19th century Tibbits Opera House in Michigan.
A teacher of both theater and career technical education, Goodson has two shows in production at the Imperial Center for Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount; he is directing ‘Willy Wonka Kids’ and ‘Footloose.’
All good things come to an end he said. “When the curtain goes down on Footloose, it’s curtains for me as well. I’ll be moving to Lansing with my partner Tyler and I will be the campaign director for Tippetts Opera House and Arts Council. Spearheading that in conjunction with the director of development,” he explained.
Built in 1882 the opera house is one of the oldest theaters in the state and is in the midst of a multi-phase revitalization of the building. He gushed, “It’s such a beautiful building, I cannot wait to go to work in that space. I love old theaters; it just calls to me.”
Part one of the project took place before the pandemic on the exterior of the opera house but work was slowed by the pandemic. Now work is to begin on phase two; he starts his new role in August.
Recently, he was back in his old stomping grounds. “I was home in town for Father’s Day and it’s always a joy to come back home. I am very proud of Pilot Mountain and all the good things that are going on.”
Goodson recalls with pride getting an early start in the arts at the Andy Griffith Playhouse. “I was in ninth grade, and I was going to support my friend, I was just going to be at the audition to help support her — I wasn’t auditioning myself.”
As luck would have it, he was cajoled into auditioning and has made a career in and around the theater ever since. “They said they needed guys for the show and lo and behold I was cast as Harry the Horse in ‘Guys and Dolls’ and it changed my life. I never thought this was my life’s journey, but I am very happy of it,” he said.
Goodson is also an accomplished educator which he said is in his blood. “My mother, Marilyn Dezarn Goodson, was a teacher at North Surry High and my granny taught at Shoals Elementary for 42 years. It’s in my blood, I couldn’t’ fight it.”
Some years ago, he was teaching at Eastern Guilford High when he said his students inspired him to follow his dream. He set the stage, “This was back when Facebook knew everything about you, and a pop-up ad for New York University Steinhardt popped up.”
“My essay about seeing the Nutcracker at the Stevens Center put on by the School of the Arts got me accepted to NYU,” he said. Goodson put everything into storage, packed the essentials, and it was off to the Big Apple where he received a master’s in educational theater for colleges and communities.
Since lockdowns and mandates, many folks just stopped going out to see theatre or live music, but Goodson said any reports of the death of live theater are premature, “You know, they’ve been saying the arts have been dying for years and we’re still here. You have to have thick skin to be in the arts.”
“Artists are some of the most resilient people and we usually don’t take no for an answer,” he added, “we find a way, whatever the situation, to make it work.”
That gung-ho attitude may be just why Goodson is being brought in to take a leadership role in the renovation project of the opera house he called a “staple in the community” for what it offers as more than a stage but a community resource, “This venue is not defining itself as one key term.”
“I think that’s what’s appealing is how can we still hold true to our mission and our vision, but also make it work for the community in which that we are serving.”
Keeping theater alive will mean attracting new eyes to the stage and removing barriers to access. Goodson admits there may be a stodgy surrounding them. “Back in the day if we went to the theater you were in coat and tails basically... I think that where we are as a society, we have to meet people where they are.”
“As they say, I’ve borrowed this from the Methodist Church years ago, but I truly believe it that like the church, theater should be open hearts, open doors and open minds... If we’re truly welcoming and we’re truly family and we’re truly welcoming our family into our own home, we don’t care. We’re just glad they’re there,” he said. “We’re glad you’re here, you know, come on in and sit and visit for a while.”
Being raised in a small town had its benefits. He recalled as a child how his mom helped bring the cruise ins to town. “Mom was president of the Downtown Revitalization Committee and I saw how she worked, and I saw it because I grew up in a community where you got to know your neighbors.”
“We’d always be downtown visiting or seeing or supporting or doing something. Being part of this community there is a sense of pride, and you always cheer each other on to be successful.”
“I think that’s what I’ve taken with me — the big life lesson in all of my careers and all my jobs — is that the success is so important and it’s so realistic when the community is involved, and I would not have had that upbringing had I not been raised in Pilot Mountain.”
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