Local StoriesApril 24, 2023

Exploring Life & Business with Wendell Tabb of Triangle Performance Ensemble

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendell Tabb.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a young man growing up in rural North Carolina, it was my mother who first influenced me to become an educator. For decades, my mother taught French and English at a high school almost an hour away from our home. She always taught her students to be the best they could be and to never allow their socioeconomic status to stop them from achieving their dreams. Following her lead, it has always been my desire to give back by motivating and building courage, confidence, and self-esteem through teaching. While it was evident to others that I would teach, I have always had a passion for the performing arts. My first play was at my High School in Louisburg, North Carolina. I had only six lines in the senior play, “Hail the Hunkering Hero.” Despite the brevity of my performance—I was hooked. I realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to the performing arts.

Once I became a teacher, I found it critical that high school-age students on the brink of adulthood be exposed to different cultures around the United States and abroad. My passion for wanting to bridge the gap globally was the impetus for creating and developing The International Professional-Student Theatre Exchange Program at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina. Consistent with Durham Public School’s mission of providing high-quality educational opportunities for students, this program meets the critical need of exposing high school teenagers to various cultures worldwide. While developing as global learners, children gain high-quality educational opportunities and work with professionals and peer performers all over the world. Our students have performed in countries such as Lima, Peru; Havana, Cuba; Sydney, Australia; London, England; Osaka, Japan; Gambia, West Africa and Kenya, East Africa.

My mission as an educator and community leader is to present innovative, challenging, and entertaining theatre that fosters a unique appreciation for the arts, inspires and assists community members to improve and promote collaboration between schools and other community-based programs, provide an international network for the performing arts and to use theater across cultures in order to empower, enlighten and educate. My programming is intended to create diverse intellectual and social outlets where students, teachers, and community members may actively participate in dramatic performances that cultivate community discussion and calls for action.

In my 35 years of education, I have been fortunate to achieve local and national awards to include Teacher of the Year from Durham Public Schools, the first teacher in the Triangle area to be recognized by the Tony Awards ® for Theater Education, and in 2019, receiving the honor of having the Hillside High School Theater named The John H. Gattis – Wendell Tabb Theater and the stage at Hillside High School named The Wendell Tabb Stage.

Overall, my greatest accomplishment has been impacting the lives of children through the arts. Empowering students to be their best on and off stage has been my life’s reward. It is a privilege and honor to serve and to contribute to the message of hope to members of the community through our productions and various acts of service.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Prior to 1950, the public schools in the City of Durham, North Carolina, were segregated by race. Hillside High School is well-known in Durham as a school that has educated generations of black students. Hillside’s student population has traditionally contended with many social issues related to poverty, gangs, and academic unpreparedness. Despite this, my students have a history of successful matriculation and high achievement.

For the last 10 years of my career, I carried a student load totaling 180 students per year on average. In each graduation class, 25% or more of Hillside graduates have participated in theater by performing in a play or taking a theater class. An analysis of the school’s disciplinary data showed that those students who are actively involved in the theater program are the least likely to engage in behaviors that would warrant disciplinary action.

My approach to teaching is to allow students to be a part of programs that are conducive to their individual growth by demanding excellence and promoting professionalism. I allow students to have direct ownership of the drama program by making them responsible for its outcomes. Empowering students to be the managers of the productions provides a sense of confidence and courage that stays with them beyond the classroom.

As you know, we’re big fans of Triangle Performance Ensemble. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
TRIANGLE PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE (TPE) is a non-profit theatre arts company of Durham, North Carolina. The organization aims to develop professional talents in the performing arts (theatre, music, dance) for Durham and surrounding communities. TPE seeks to provide golden opportunities for audience members to experience innovative and creative theatre.

Each year, our ensemble produces Black Nativity Durham, one of Durham’s Top 10 Holiday Traditions. For over 16 years, this play has been a Community Involvement Initiative. This production provides an opportunity for organizations and churches to raise funds for community projects and provides scholarship donations for the Jeanne Lucas Scholarship Fund. Across the Triangle area, civic, school, and church organizations have joined as sponsors for this major Holiday event.

Many artists and churches are represented, and the Durham community and the Triangle area take pride in coming together in Unity.

To learn more about Triangle Performance Ensemble. please visit https://www.blacknativitydurham.com/

What matters most to you?
I feel obligated to promote fairness and share my passion with others in an effort to spark their desire to pursue a career in the teaching profession. To that end, I have been a champion of pay equity for arts educators in the state of North Carolina. I have lobbied the Durham Public School System and other governing bodies in an effort to improve the pay for arts teachers. As an advocate for increasing teacher salary and benefits, I strongly believe that we are moving in the right direction to be competitive in recruitment and retention of the best and brightest to lead our young minds.

I will strive to promote prospective teacher involvement with the implementation of shadowing & teacher cadet programs in schools, particularly in areas with low teacher recruitment. By showcasing teacher and student success stories through all forms of media, I want to encourage potential teachers to join the profession and strive to have a meaningful impact in the lives of young people. Teaching allows you to guide students in making informed decisions about their own lives that will in turn build healthy and sustainable communities. Through demonstrating best practices & showcasing students’ success, we can motivate and encourage others to pursue the power of education through teaching.

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