Every year for nearly 30 years, Missouri State University’s Tent Theatre has been under the dedicated guidance of Managing Director Mark Templeton.

As of April 1, 2026, Templeton will step aside from his role with this cherished Ozarks tradition.

Templeton began working at Missouri State as a graduate assistant for the marketing director at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. In addition, he worked in a similar capacity over the summers with Tent Theatre, adding merchandising and vending operations to his workload.

In 1999, the Department of Theatre and Dance hired Templeton as a part-time employee. He worked in the box office and oversaw event coordination. Later that same year, he moved to a full time position as the department’s marketing director. Then in 2001, the department changed his job title to managing director to better reflect his expertise and include even more responsibilities.

Retirement reception March 27

A retirement reception celebrating Templeton’s career will be held 4:30-7:30 p.m. March 27 at the Davis-Harrington Welcome Center. Please join the Reynolds College community in wishing him well, share many happy memories, and enjoy a few light hors d’oeuvres.

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“Many hats” and funny moments

One of the challenges Templeton has experienced working at Missouri State is the “many hats” he wears.

“Many people refer to me as the marketing director, others refer to me as the managing director, and finally some refer to me as the operations manager,” Templeton said. “I actually assume all of those duties. Finding the balance between them all has been challenging.”

Marketing, managing or operations director—regardless, the challenges have also been tempered with favorite memories and funny moments.

Take the summer when the skunks decided to attend a Tent Theatre performance.

“There was a year when a family of skunks burrowed in the back of Craig Hall,” Templeton remembered. “One night during a performance of Tent, the skunks appeared nose to tail, six of them. We were in the middle of the first act of our opening musical and we simply froze, not knowing what to do.”

The audience, however, was so engaged with the performance, they never noticed the skunks, Templeton said. The skunk family passed by the audience within five feet of the tent and headed back toward Craig Hall.

“If someone would have moved we would have had a huge issue on our hands,” Templeton laughed.

Actors Equity and the John Goodman Amphitheatre

Templeton is proud of his work as Tent’s managing director, but two moments in particular stand out in his mind.

“The first was my successful negotiation with Actors’ Equity to transition Tent Theatre from an academic summer program to an officially recognized professional theatre company,” Templeton said. Describing the undertaking as “daunting,” Templeton said the arrangement had a positive impact on Tent Theatre.

“[Moving to Actors’ Equity] immediately improved the quality of the performances we were able to present to the thousands of patrons who enjoy Tent each summer,” he said.

Templeton’s second “defining moment” of his long tenure with Tent was the addition of the John Goodman Amphitheatre (JGA). The facility is located in the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Arts Park on the Springfield campus.

“After the 50th anniversary of Tent Theatre, I was searching for what was the next major improvement that we could make to Tent to inspire the next generation,” Templeton said. “This is the time when I started dreaming about a permanent Tent structure to house our production.”

Collaboration reinforces vibrant arts community

Collaborating with several colleagues, patrons, friends and industry professionals, Templeton’s dream took shape. JGA now stands as a proud symbol of Missouri State’s vibrant arts community.

“I never thought the dream would be realized,” Templeton recalled. “I am so very proud to have been part of the process.”

Templeton has served as the executive director of marketing and external relations for JGA since its opening in 2022. His efforts have helped make Missouri State a destination campus for the arts.

For Reynolds College Dean Shawn Wahl, Templeton’s efforts have secured him a place in Tent Theatre’s legacy.

“Tent legends Dr. Bob Bradley and Byrne Blackwood inspired Mark to support a new vision for Tent Theatre,” Wahl said. “I know they would be so proud of how Tent Theatre has evolved.”

An honor of a lifetime

After 30 years in a fast-paced university environment, Templeton’s retirement provides him with an opportunity to “catch his breath.” But he has no plans to slow down.

“I have several ideas that I want to pursue in the future,” he said. “I want to continue to remain engaged with the university, its many activities and be a supporter. I especially hope that we can all keep the positive trajectory of the expansion and needs of the students and campus community.”

Templeton expressed fondness and gratitude for the relationships he has formed since becoming Tent’s managing director.

“It has been an honor of a lifetime to be a part of Missouri State University,” Templeton said. “I really am thankful for the opportunity that the late Dr. Bob Bradley gave me to join the department. I also appreciate Dean Shawn Wahl, who has demonstrated true leadership, and the throngs of colleagues across the university campus.”

“Yet most of all, I am thankful for the thousands of patrons and sponsors who have been loyal to our summer programming,” Templeton noted. “Springfield is truly a special place.”