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Mike Artis
Director of Volunteers, Kalamazoo Civic Theatre F
or more than two decades, Mike Artis has been a familiar face to anyone involved in the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. As the community theater's longtime stage manager, he has interacted with nearly every volunteer who graced the stage or worked behind it. And when the lights flood The Civic stage this month after 20 months of pandemic-induced darkness, Artis will be there, but he won’t be "running the show." After serving as stage manager since 1997, Artis has taken on a new role as The Civic's director of volunteers, recruiting and managing nearly 1,000 volunteers who make theater magic happen each season. "Volunteers are my first love," says the 51-year-old. "I love teaching. I love being able to know just about everybody that walks through the doors. I hope to stage-manage here and there, but change is good. " What was your first experience in theater? I’ve been interested in theater for as long as I can remember, but what really got me excited was my elementary music teacher, Virginia Agne (at Gilkey Elementary School, in Plainwell). She did a musical every year. I started in the third grade by dancing in Charlotte’s Web, then I sang a solo in Tom Sawyer, and then I played Oliver Twist. I really enjoyed doing those.
Brian Powers
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