Jasper’s Dana Riggins Named Director of Operations for Statewide TheatreFest Event

Dana Riggins of Jasper has been named Director of Operations for TheatreFest, the Texas Educational Theatre Association’s annual statewide event. Photo courtesy of TxETA.

The Texas Educational Theatre Association (TxETA) has announced the appointment of Dana Riggins, a Jasper resident and passionate theatre educator, as the new Director of Operations for TheatreFest, the association’s largest annual event.

Riggins has been the Registrar for TheatreFest since 2019 and will now take the lead in organizing TheatreFest 25, scheduled for October 1–4 at Loews Arlington in Arlington, Texas.

“She’s been rocking the TxETA stage for years,” the association said in a statement, calling her promotion well-earned and long overdue.

Riggins’ love for the performing arts began at the age of 12 and has blossomed into a career filled with impact both onstage and behind the scenes. She has performed or directed in countless productions including The Sound of Music, Annie, The King and I, Cinderella, Godspell, Always… Patsy Cline, and Annie Get Your Gun. In 1989, she received the Shreveport Times Drama Award for Best Actress for her role in Biloxi Blues.

Locally, Riggins helped launch the children’s program at Jasper Community Theatre, where she directed sold-out youth productions like The Rockin' Tale of Snow White, Honk Jr., and her original musical spoof, Kid-a-Palooza.

In 2014, she became a certified UIL One Act Play adjudicator, judging contests at District, Area, and Regional levels across Texas. Her dedication to theatre education earned her TxETA’s highest honor—the Founder’s Award—in 2023.

Dana lives in Jasper with her husband, Dr. Richard Riggins, and their three sons. The family has called Jasper home since 1998.

“She’s representing Jasper like a true star—onstage and off,” the announcement read. “Let’s give Dana a standing ovation!”