By: Taylor Herring
Mrs. Suzanne Allmon has been teaching drama at Oak Grove for the past 15 years. Over the years, she and the theatre department have won a handful of awards, including five state championships, State Champion runner-up in 2009, National Champions in 2008 with their show “Tales of Trickery,” and National Champion runner up in 2007 with their show “Crane Wife.” With such a successful track record, it is no wonder Mrs. Allmon (commonly called Mrs. A by her students) is considered to be one of the best drama directors in the state of Mississippi. Allmon did not earn all of her coveted titles and honorable awards without a great deal of training and experience, though. In fact, she began her lengthy acting career at the young age of two years old, and she has been on stage ever since. She attended high school in Mobile, Alabama, at Baker High, where she continued to pursue her love for acting and the arts. It was at Baker High that Allmon began dancing on her high school dance team and playing both the saxophone and bassoon in the band. Although her high school did not offer a theatre department, she stayed active in local plays and productions in Mobile. After she graduated from Baker High, Allmon moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to attend college at William Carey University. Naturally, she majored in theatre and never once lost her interest in the arts. During her college career, Mrs. Allmon co-starred as the personality of Laura in the William Carey production of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.” At this time, she was also nominated for the prestigious Irene Ryan Scholarship for theatre majors. During and after college, Allmon experienced a variety of job opportunities. She was able to teach dance classes, instruct childrens’ gymnastics, work in the theatre department of a day camp, and participate in one of her favorite occupations: costume design. One of the most unusual jobs, however, was Mrs. Allmon’s involvement in investigation parties. Basically, she worked with a team of people to create a mystery scene for a detective party. Her personal position was to dress the “dead” character and create realistic wounds using makeup; she loved every minute of this atypical involvement. All of Mrs. Allmon’s experience led her to win one of the most celebrated achievements among theatre directors in the state: The Thad Cochran Distinguished Arts Educator of the Year Award. The Mississippi Alliance for Art Education (MAAE) organization gives this award to only one director per year. Ironically, Allmon was nominated for the honor by a fellow competitor from Jackson, Mississippi. In order to be considered for the award, Allmon was required to assemble a portfolio of her accomplishments in the department; the portfolio is sent to the committee at MAAE and they then pick the most qualified director to win. Considering there is only one winner per category, Mrs. Allmon’s success in the theatre category was quite an honor for her and the drama department at Oak Grove. Her students are extremely proud of their esteemed director, but perhaps not as proud as their director is of her students. Mrs. Allmon commented that her experience of teaching theatre at Oak Grove has been one of the most fulfilling times of her life; she is quick to admit, however, that over the years she has not chosen a favorite production her students have performed. “Directing shows is kind of like having children,” Allmon said. “You develop a genuine love for elements of every play in the same way that you love different aspects of each child’s personality.”
