They met on the stage, married on the stage and Kim even tended her daughters as infants between scenes.  

UCDailyNews.com asked Bruce and Kim Welker a few questions about life in the Cookeville theater community:

How many productions have you been in?

Bruce:  Over 200...

Kim:  I have been involved in theatre for over thirty years, performing in somewhere around two hundred productions (community, collegiate and touring shows)...you stop counting after awhile. 

Favorite Roles?

Bruce:  Li’l Abner, The Wizard of Oz, Noises Off, Camping with Henry and Tom, Experiment with an Air Pump, Foxfire, A Doll’s House, and Major Richard Fielding Cooke.

Kim:  Favoriate leading roles include Catherine Sloper in "The Heiress,"  Charlotte in "Charlotte's Web,"  Zorah Bloch in "Inspecting Carol,"  Hannah Jelkes in "The Night of the Iguana," Elizabeth Proctor in "The Crucible," and Eve in "The Diaries of Adam and Eve."  

What level of theatre quality do you believe we have in this community today?

Bruce:  I think the level of quality is very high.  There are quite a few very talented actors, directors, musicians, etc. 

Kim:  This community has a highly respected theatre community that has been recognized on the state, regional and national level. The Drama Center has won several prestigious awards over the years.

What keeps it at that level?

Kim:   The high level of quality in this community is a direct result of the dedication and commitment of several experienced and talented directors and actors in the area who continually raise the bar and challenge each other.

What roles have you played (other than those onstage) in the theater community in this area?

I also play Margaret Cooke – wife of Cookeville founder Major Richard Fielding Cooke – in support of the Cookeville History Museum and the Historic Train Depot. And I help research and write scripts for The Candlelight Cemetery Walk…basically I do whatever Judy Duke – Museums Director - needs me to do to help in her fundraising events.

I also teach Drama at The Homeschool Arts Enrichment Program and at Highland Rim Christian Academy

Kim:  What would help strengthen this area’s theatre programs is additional community and financial support. Volunteers are the core of any community theatre organization…and with continued budget cuts theatres are hard pressed to secure funding for royalties, costumes, set construction, lighting, sound equipment, props etc.

Kim:  I am most excited about the increased involvement of young artists in the area who are pursuing the performing arts with a passion and most grateful to parents who understand the value of introducing children to the performing arts at an early age.

On a personal note, my involvement in theatre saved my life, literally. I was a deeply depressed and suicidal teenager. I took drama classes in High School but did not have the confidence to audition for plays. At twenty-three I joined a community theatre company and first worked backstage on a few shows. Three talented actors in the company (who were also professors in theatre) recognized my potential. They encouraged me to get on the stage, taught me everything they knew and pushed me to do more than I thought I was capable of. Tough love comes to mind. They became my mentors on stage and in life. I learned that theatre can be a cathartic experience; the process of submerging yourself into a character forces you to delve into your own life experiences sometimes enabling you to purge unwanted baggage.  Theatre is a place where people from all social and religious backgrounds are welcome to explore and create…

Bruce:  I am grateful for the number of people in the community who take theatre seriously. It is one thing to have artistic involvement, but it is great to have a commitment to quality and a base of artists who take it seriously.