Theatre Director • Artistic Leader • Educator • Producer
Raines Carr is a theatre director, educator, producer, and arts leader with more than 30 years of experience working across theatre, film, television, and higher education. His career has been defined by a commitment to building creative communities, developing artists, and creating ambitious theatre that connects audiences with challenging and meaningful stories.
Carr currently serves as Artistic Director of ABET (All Beaches Experimental Theatre), where he leads the Jacksonville-based theatre company into its next chapter as it celebrates more than three decades of producing adventurous contemporary plays, classics, and innovative theatrical experiences. His work with ABET focuses on creating professional-quality theatre while expanding the company's educational, community, and artistic reach.
He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of ShepardFest: The Sam Shepard Festival, an annual celebration of the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard. Founded to bring artists, scholars, students, and audiences together through theatre, film, scholarship, and conversation, ShepardFest has become a distinctive part of the American theatre landscape and reflects Carr's longstanding interest in the intersection of contemporary theatre, American identity, and interdisciplinary artistic practice.
As an educator, Carr has taught theatre at the collegiate level for more than a decade, including his work as Theatre Director and faculty member at Chipola College, where he led productions that received statewide recognition through the Florida College System Activities Association.
Carr also serves as Special Events Coordinator for the FSCJ Foundation, producing major institutional events and donor experiences that support the college and its students. This work builds on his extensive experience as a producer and arts administrator and reflects his belief that successful arts organizations depend not only on artistic vision, but also on strong relationships, community engagement, and thoughtful leadership.
Before returning to the Southeast, Carr spent more than a decade in Los Angeles working in the entertainment industry. He worked in development at Walt Disney Feature Animation and in commercial casting, where he was involved with more than 450 national, regional, and international advertising productions. That experience gave him a broad understanding of the entertainment industry and continues to inform his approach to producing, collaboration, and storytelling.
Carr holds a B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University and an M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from The University of Alabama. Across his work as an artist, educator, producer, and administrator, his goal remains consistent: to build spaces where artists can take risks, students can discover their voices, and audiences can encounter theatre that matters.
Résumé & CV
For a complete overview of Raines Carr's professional experience in theatre, education, artistic leadership, and arts administration, download his current curriculum vitae.
