Finding Your Light: Sumner Bender Tells All About Her Many Theatrical Experiences by Haley Sprankle

24 years ago, a little girl sat in Mary Jeffcoat’s acting class at Workshop Theatre, full of hope and aspirations.

Flash forward to present day, and here sits a woman who works in the Visual and Performing Arts Department for Richland County School District One, is on the Board of Directors at Trustus Theatre, is on the Board of Directors at SCTA (South Carolina Theatre Association), and works as a children’s director with ICRC (Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission).
“I started by taking acting classes from Mary Jeffcoat, at Workshop Theatre, when I was in 3rd or 4th grade and have been hooked ever since,” Sumner Bender says. “In middle school, at Hand Middle School, my teacher (who is now my boss in the Visual and Performing Arts Department of Richland One) Nancy Pope, really fanned the theatrical flame. Theatre classes in public school, for me, really kept me interested in school when other things weren’t reaching me.”

As a part of so many different boards and theatres, Bender has had many opportunities to dabble in various aspects of theatre.

“I have been involved in pretty much every aspect of theatre, from stage managing, lighting, directing, costuming, and acting, to managing publicity. All of them have a special place in my heart, but there really isn’t anything like dedicating a large amount of time to developing a character then getting the chance to step on stage and display all that hard work in front of an audience. That moment when you ‘find your light’ on stage and you feel all the eyes in the theatre on you, is something not everyone will get to experience, and it is one of the purest forms of exhilaration! Although I love being the boss, so directing is an absolute blast,” Bender says.

Currently, Bender is co-directing Into the Woods Jr with Tiffany Dinsmore at ICRC.

“I have always worked with kids, whether I was nannying in my neighborhood or working at a Church daycare, or teaching English in China, I have always been drawn to work with children; something about their energy that just lights up my heart. So when I got the call to work on children’s musicals, I didn’t even think twice,” Bender says.

Returning to her roots, she continues to encourage theatre and the arts in the school district she grew up in through the Visual and Performing Arts Department of Richland County School District One.

“With my love of the arts, and the influence it had on me in school, I jumped at the opportunity to return to the district and support the arts programming of Richland One. The arts in education are every changing with the political tides especially in regards to funding,” Bender says. “The position I am in now is one where we can have a direct impact making sure that all arts remain in all schools in Richland One; whether musical programs, performing arts or visual art, we want all students to have access. Being the district in the capital of South Carolina, we see it as our responsibility to lead the state in arts education.”

While Bender works a lot with directing children and promoting theatre among young people, she is also heavily involved with Trustus Theatre.

“For the past decade Trustus has been my home. I felt more comfortable and more accepted there than at any other place and time in my life. I have dedicated countless hours working in and for the theatre. I have been an ambassador, of sorts for the theatre, willing to educate any and all that are interested. It hasn’t always had the best reputation in Columbia, but I can attest to the true good that comes from being a part of the Trustus experience,” Bender explains. “When I came back from China, I went to Trustus and walked into Kay Thigpen’s office. She looked up, sighed, and said ‘All is right with the world,’ and that was the most welcome I have ever felt in my life.”

Bender’s plethora of theatrical and artistic involvement all ties together perfectly through her position with SCTA.

“The SC Theatre Association (SCTA) states its purpose as: to bring together theatre groups – Educational Theatre, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, and High School Theatre – to improve and further the cultural growth of theatrical art by mutual aid and advancement and stimulation of public interest. My involvement with Trustus, a professional theatre, Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission (ICRC), a community organization, and Richland One Visual and Performing Arts, educational theatre programs, it was a natural gravitation for me towards SCTA. I have accepted a full term seat on their as an at-large member of their Board of Directors. I look forward to learning more about the organization as well as helping them expand their connections in Columbia,” Bender says.

Despite her cultural awareness and artistic activism, at the end of the day, Bender is just another fellow Columbian who is not a beer-drinker, enjoys a good Carolina tailgate, and likes her quiet time.

“I have two [favorite quiet spots in Columbia], the first is my house — it is my sanctuary,” Bender says. “However, on Saturdays when I get to my classroom early and I am waiting for my kids to arrive, it is so quiet but it is also filled with a little bit of electricity because I know that for the next few hours I will be with my wonderful group of kids, sharing my passion for- and the magic of- theatre.”