Bonnie Gentry is a storyteller

at heart with a passion for what she does whether it’s on the stage, in the studio, or in classrooms. Bonnie has performed in a variety of venues, such as theatres, singing competitions, dance shows, in ballets, operas, oratorios, with symphonies, voice recitals, musicals, one acts, and plays. Bonnie moved from Texas to Arkansas to receive her Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from Ouachita Baptist University. 

In highschool, Bonnie debuted in singing competitions and recitals, as well as two fully staged productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti. Within her Freshman year at Ouachita Bonnie performed in an Alumni-written production entitled Billy Blythe by Bonnie Montgomery in the chorus and as a featured dancer. As a member of Ouachita Singers, Bonnie sang Handel’s Messiah with members of The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at the Governor’s Mansion. She also traveled with the choir to Italy in the Spring of 2017 and sang in notable sights such as St. Peter’s Basilica for Mass and a private concert in the Sistine Chapel. 

Bonnie also performed in musicals at Ouachita under the musical direction of Dr. Jon Secrest, David Stanley, Dr. John Briggs, and Dr. Arnold Rawls. She had a featured role as Kaylee in Speed Dating Tonight! the comic opera by Michael Ching. In the summer of 2018 Bonnie had the honor of traveling to Italy once more to perform with the Opera in Concert in Italy with Edward and Heather Crafts. She sang in opera houses and studied the Italian language with Massimo Sabbatini and JoAnn Kulesza. 

One of Bonnie’s favorite roles includes Miss Pinkerton in Old Maid and the Thief by Menotti at OBU. The production was under the musical direction of Dr. Arnold Rawls and the stage direction of guest artist, Dr. Susan Manns. In her senior year, Bonnie also played a lead role of Cleopas in Auferstehungshistorie: Historia der Auferstehung Jesu Christi at OBU. In her time at Ouachita, Bonnie competed in Regional and State NATS competitions, she placed in the top 3 every semester she competed.  

While at OBU, Bonnie performed in a variety of shows and worked behind the scenes as a dance captain on multiple musical productions. In addition, Bonnie is a choreographer and teaches dance and drama at multiple schools including an internship at Nashville Children’s Theatre. Bonnie believes being courageous as a storyteller is integral to her growth as an artist. Telling stories is something she’s passionate about and her favorite medium of storytelling is through music, dance, and stage acting. She believes being an artist means to be the most authentic you can be in make believe circumstances. To suspend disbelief for even a moment and become swept up in a different life.