Sam Nance has an encyclopedic mind, and we are grateful that he reserves a chapter for the secrets of our Living Black and White lighting! But Sam is more than a lighting guy. He has also been an actor, theatre producer, small business owner, and teacher. A man of many talents!
Sam developed his love for theatre in high school, acting in many productions and gaining experience in technical theatre. Between high school and college, when most people are taking a last “hurrah” before the rigors of a degree program, Sam opened a theatre in Newton, Kansas, a theatre that remained open for decades, only recently closing a few years ago.
In college, Sam continued the pursuit of his theatrical passion. After graduating, he earned an MFA from the Dallas Theater Center in association with Trinity University. He was a Dallas Theater Center company member for two years and was the original Olan Potts in “The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia” by Preston Jones.
Now it was time to make a living in the arts, no mean feat! Sam started a theatrical supply company called Samarco, a business originally devoted to lighting fashion shows. Over time it also became a go-to resource for live stage theatres such as Pegasus. And that was the beginning of our beautiful friendship!
Sam currently does freelance lighting design at theatres across the metroplex. He tells great stories and knows more about the history of theatre in Dallas than a newspaper archive could hold. Sam lives with his wife Sharon and a very talkative cat (down from the seven cats they owned at one time!) He loves trains and has a train-themed trip planned for the summer. No matter how busy Sam is, he always manages to reserve time for Pegasus Theatre and for that we are grateful.