Arts Executive • Theatre Director • Producer • Educator
Raines Carr is an arts executive, theatre director, producer, and educator with more than 30 years of experience spanning nonprofit theatre, higher education, film, television, and arts administration. His career has been defined by a commitment to building creative communities, developing artists, strengthening arts organizations, 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 provides artistic, administrative, financial, and operational leadership for the 35-year-old nonprofit theatre. Working closely with its Board of Directors, artists, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners, he oversees programming, budgeting, fundraising, organizational planning, and community engagement. He also recently led ABET's search for a new permanent home and is guiding the organization through the development of its new theatre space as it returns to the Atlantic Beach community where it was founded.
Carr is also the Founder and Artistic Director of ShepardFest: The Sam Shepard Festival, based in St. Augustine, Florida. Created to bring artists, scholars, students, and audiences together through theatre, film, scholarship, and conversation, ShepardFest reflects Carr's interest in both artistic programming and institution-building. In addition to shaping the festival's artistic vision, he leads fundraising, donor development, partnerships, budgeting, board development, production, and long-term planning.
At the FSCJ Foundation, Carr serves as Special Events Coordinator, producing major institutional, fundraising, donor, and recognition events while working with college leadership, donors, corporate sponsors, alumni, community organizations, and external partners. His work encompasses event strategy and production, sponsorship development, donor stewardship, budgeting, vendor management, and institutional advancement. Across his nonprofit work, Carr has developed a particular interest in the relationships between artistic vision, financial sustainability, philanthropy, and community investment.
As an educator, Carr has taught theatre at the collegiate level for more than a decade. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Director at Chipola College, where he led the college's theatre program and productions while overseeing students, artists, designers, technicians, budgets, facilities, and community partnerships. Four of his mainstage productions received Superior Rankings from the Florida College System Activities Association, including productions recognized with the organization's Innovation and Community Service awards. He continues to teach theatre as an adjunct instructor at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Before returning to the Southeast, Carr spent more than a decade in Los Angeles working in the entertainment industry. At Ocean Park Casting, he served as Main Casting Associate and Operations Manager and participated in the casting of more than 450 national, regional, and international commercials. Earlier, he worked in development and production at Walt Disney Feature Animation. Those experiences in large-scale commercial entertainment continue to inform his approach to producing, organizational leadership, collaboration, and the relationship between artistic ambition and practical execution.
Carr holds a B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University and an M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from The University of Alabama. His work as a director and producer has encompassed contemporary American drama, Shakespeare, classical theatre, musicals, and interdisciplinary programming.
Across his work as an arts leader, artist, educator, producer, and administrator, Carr's goal remains consistent: to build spaces where artists can take risks, students can discover their voices, organizations can thrive, 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, please email rainescarr@gmail.com.
