Preston Hollow People: March Takes Leadership Role With DCT

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March Takes Leadership Role With DCT
President wants kids to see plays early, as she did

By Margaux Anbouba

Carol March first experienced the spellbinding power of the theater as a child. With two grown children of her own, she is fueling her passion for live performance by serving as the president of the Dallas Children's Theater.

Nominating committee chair Tara Lewis was impressed with the Preston Hollow resident after seeing March's dedication while she devised a long-term strategic plan for the organization. March served on the board as a trustee for four years before taking on her role as president.

"Carol led the long-term strategic planning process and did an excellent job of diving deep down into the organization and looking at every different aspect of what makes the children's theater the excellent organization that it is," Lewis said. "She is exactly the kind of leader who inspires those around her to do their best through example."

March's patronage of the DCT started about 20 years ago, when she brought her children to see If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

"I realized that taking our kids to the theater could be just as magical as when my parents took me as a child," March said. "The Children's Theater has a great role in growing tomorrow's audience."

March takes the helm the same year that the DCT is celebrating a milestone anniversary.

"It's been an amazing first 30 years, and at this point, we find ourselves growing into an organization that's had a real presence here in Dallas," March said. "I love [that the DCT] brings families and friends together to experience something to share that lasts even longer than the performance itself."

To celebrate the anniversary, the playhouse is featuring special accessories in the season's plays: hats designed by children. Dallas Children's Theater will continue to offer classes, education programs, and professional plays for families in the area, and the busy holiday season is arriving.

"The Children's Theater fills so many spaces in our Dallas cultural scene," March said. "We have a growing Dallas arts culture, and the Children's Theater kids can get their first introduction to it. In my experience, when you introduce a child to the arts when they are young, they become a life-long patron."