About Us
The Judy Kohn-Tenenbaum
Argenta Contemporary Theatre
Located at 405 Main Street, in the heart of North Little Rock's Argenta Arts District, the Argenta Contemporary Theatre serves as a centerpiece of a vibrant artistic community. From crowd-pleasing musicals to vibrant new works to theatrical classics, there is truly something for everyone to love on the ACT stage.
Our Mission
Argenta Contemporary Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing and advancing the performing arts through performance, education, and community collaboration. We recognize that today's artists operate in a culturally diverse and technologically evolving environment. ACT is committed to promoting and presenting work that reflects these dynamic conditions at both our mainstage theater and educational center.
What We Do
Our History
Argenta Contemporary Theatre
Argenta Contemporary Theatre was founded in 2010 by Vincent Insalaco and Judy Tenenbaum — originally named the Argenta Community Theater. ACT has made a name for itself as a destination for local theater at a very high quality. Thousands of audience members have been treated to professional quality performances produced by friends and neighbors from right here in Central Arkansas.
ACT’s inaugural production, Cabaret, was produced in 2012, with direction by Bob Hupp, then the producing artistic director of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. ACT has gone on to produce well-received and critically acclaimed musicals and plays, including the world premiere stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning film Mrs. Miniver in 2015, the original musical During Wind and Rain in 2017, and a yearly production of an original adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Argenta has made a name for itself as a destination for outstanding theatre, but that is just one facet of our varied mission.
The Argenta Contemporary Theatre also conducts a robust education outreach program, with our ACTing Up summer camp being the flagship. Beginning in 2014, students from across Central Arkansas have gathered for a two-week summer intensive in acting, music, dance, and film at our signature educational program. Now at the Benson/McAdams Argenta Contemporary Theatre Academy, students of all ages further their artistic education year round. Over the years our educational program has expanded to include the PACT scholarship program in conjunction with the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College, and our daytime student Lunch & Learn matinee performances for area students.
ACT also seeks to collaborate with area non-profit organizations, artistic institutions, and charitable endeavors to further enrich the community we inhabit and serve. Over the years, we have partnered with organizations like Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled, SeisPuentes, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Thea Foundation, ACANSA Arts Festival of the South, Opera in the Rock, Laman Library, and many, many more. Here at Argenta, we believe that our collaboration with these and many other organizations doing great work in Central Arkansas allows all of us to expand our reach to serve those who need it most.
In honor of ACT’s co-founder and matriarch, and to mark the organization’s tenth year, Judy Kohn Tenenbaum’s name was officially added to our name.
In 2024, the organization’s name was given another update — from the Argenta Community Theater to Argenta Contemporary Theatre — making our official name today the Judy Kohn Tenenbaum Argenta Contemporary Theatre. The decision to adopt our new name reflects the organization’s expansive growth, new education programming, and our commitment to advancing the performing arts within and beyond the community. While our history began on Main Street in the heart of North Little Rock, ACT’s influence has grown far beyond our initial community to reach people in every corner of the state and even further afield. This expansion includes engagement with industry professionals who wish to teach, participate, and support our educational, and production efforts.
Visionaries
Vincent
Insalaco
Vincent Insalaco (co-founder) served as the Producing Artistic Director of ACT for the past 15 years. He recently became the Producing Artistic Director Emeritus. Vince has been active in the performing arts since childhood. He believes a stage can be as important as a football field to a child’s development. In addition to his work in theater, politics and business, Vince produced the feature film War Eagle, Arkansas and the documentary Warrior Champions. In 2011, he produced Giving Voice, one of the only Slave Dedications in the United States at the historic Arkansas Museum. He has directed many shows at ACT including Jesus Christ Superstar, Brigadoon, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, Follies, To Kill A Mockingbird, Newsies, A Chorus Line, Ragtime, Pippin, The Wizard of Oz, White Christmas, Godspell, and My Fair Lady. Vince is grateful for his friendship with the late Judy Tenenbaum, the co-founder of ACT. He served as the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Arkansas for 5 years and has worked for President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Senators David Pryor and John Glenn. He managed many campaigns including Mayors Patrick Hays, Joe Smith and Terry Hartwick. Vince was married to the late Sally Riggs Insalaco and has two children, Vincent Insalaco III and Elizabeth Insalaco. He has 5 granddaughters (Mary, Bella, Audrey, Avyanna and Kaitlyn).
Judy
Kohn-Tenenbaum
Judy Kohn-Tenenbaum (co-founder) is affectionately remembered by actors, crew members, staff, and students as “Mama Judy.” The vision and generosity of Judy and her dear friend and co-founder Vincent Insalaco over the theater’s first ten years fueled the growth of the ACT from a seed of an idea to a strongly cemented cornerstone in the central Arkansas arts community. With education and community outreach as the pillars of ACT’s growth and development, Judy nurtured the growth of this institution that has come to mean so much to so many. Judy passed unexpectedly in June of 2021, and we are grateful that this institution stands as a monument to her commitment to the arts and her community. Judy was a philanthropist to many organizations in Arkansas including the Clinton Foundation, City Year, UAMS Rockefeller Cancer Institute, CARTI, Thea Foundation, St. Vincent’s Infirmary, Temple B’nai Israel, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, ACANSA, and other organizations. Judy is survived by her two children Cori and Gerald and four grandchildren.
Sally
Riggs
Insalaco
The Main Stage in the Argenta Contemporary Theatre was named for Sally Riggs Insalaco. Sally Riggs is remembered as a great dancer who performed on Broadway in Hello, Dolly!, Celebration and dozens of shows throughout the country. She also performed in the original London West End Production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theater. After returning home to Little Rock in 1974, she opened Studio One for the Performing Arts having literally thousands of students from central Arkansas over the nearly 25 years the Studio was opened. Her passion for dance was legendary. After returning home, she helped an old friend (Cliff Baker) with the opening of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre by starring in their first musical, Chicago. In 1986, she choreographed and helped stage the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Celebration at War Memorial Stadium along with then Arkansas Repertory Theatre director Cliff Baker and NLR native Mary Steenburgen. In 2006, she passed away after a long battle with cancer. Sally was married to ACT co-founder Vincent Insalaco for 32 years and had two children Elizabeth and Vincent III. She would have been happy to have known her five granddaughters.
Sharon
Heflin
Sharon Heflin, a philanthropist and mother, is extremely involved throughout the community. She has always been passionate about philanthropic work. Heflin is presently serving as an Arkansas Hospice board member; second vice president of Baptist Health and Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute; board member and vice president of Alzheimer’s Arkansas; Baptist Health Foundation advisory board member; Make-A-Wish Foundation council member; and Runway for a Cause volunteer coordinator. She also sits on many other boards and organizations. In the past, she served as chair of the Little Rock Central High School Alumni Association and was a Sunday school teacher and co-chair of the 2003 Heart Ball. Sharon Heflin has been a patron of the arts in Central Arkansas for more than 50 years. She has served on the boards of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Argenta Contemporary Theatre, and the THEA Foundation and is a founding board member of the ACANSA arts festival. She received the Patron Award at the 2022 Governor’s Arts Awards presented by the Arkansas Arts Council. Sharon is a founding board member of the Argenta Contemporary Theatre and has always supported ACT’s vision of promoting performing arts education. In 2021, the Board voted to name ACT II, the Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Education Center because of her countless acts of both generosity and promoting the performing arts. Sharon has two children Marc and Jay and four grandchildren.
Pris Benson
&
Carol Ann
McAdams
Meeting their freshman year at the University of Central Arkansas in 1966, Pris Benson and Carol Ann McAdams were unaware of the history and collaboration that would unfold. Both received Bachelors’ degrees from UCA and began teaching in 1970, but it wasn’t until 1973 when they were both at Northeast High School that the speech and theatre program began to expand. With the backing of their principal James Smith, they formed not only a lifelong friendship but a working partnership that created the largest Communication, Theater, Dance and Competitive program in the state. They partnered together to produce large Broadway-like musicals that involved hundreds of students for each production. Their vision was to create a program that welcomed all students and strived to provide opportunities for students to experience success and excellence. Their involvement with the arts extended to their professional association with the Arkansas Communication and Theatre Arts Association (ACTAA) where they served in multiple leadership roles for 40 years helping to develop other speech and theatre programs around the state. Upon their retirement ACTAA members presented both with Lifetime Achievement Awards. They continue to support education in NLR by serving on the North Little Rock Public Education Foundation since retiring in 2010. One of their favorite pastimes is to attend productions to support former students performing on stage at ACT and around the state and region at multiple venues. Pris and Carol Ann are humbled by this recognition by the Argenta Contemporary Theatre and thrilled to see ACT committed to providing more educational opportunities for students in the arts. They credit their success to the support of North Little Rock community, the NLR administrative backing and, most importantly, the belief and love of forty years of students who have passed through their classrooms.
Board of Directors
Jeremy Ables, CPA* (Interim Board Chair)
Christian Gwatney Baker* (Board Secretary)
Dr. Arnessa Bennett* (Board Vice Chair)
Tim Giattina*
Sharon Heflin
Vincent Insalaco (Co-Founder)
Michael Marion
Cori Tenenbaum McGrath
Christen Pitts* (ACT Board Director of Education)
Joi Pryor
Dr. Chad Rodgers
Representative Jamie Scott
Brice Smith
Mayor Mark Stodola
Mary Steenburgen (Honorary Board Member)
Judy Kohn-Tenenbaum (Founding Board Chair)
* indicates member of Executive Committee
Our Sponsors
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