Artist, Advocate, Mentor

by Jeremy Coulter, Class of 2000
Marie Jagger-Taylor

The history of stage and screen is filled with performers known as “triple threats” — singers who also dance and act, actors who produce and direct. The Millikin Community Arts Academy (MCAA) has its own “triple threat” in Director Marie Jagger-Taylor. And in the case of Jagger-Taylor, “triple” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

 An award-winning actor, dancer, singer, choreographer and director, Jagger-Taylor has not only toured nationally on the stage, but has spent her life championing the arts as an educator, advocate and mentor in every community she’s called home — from New York City, to Chicago, to Central Illinois. 

    • There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a student have that ‘aha’ moment when they believe in themselves and their choices."Arts Education provides students an opportunity to find their voice, to be empathetic, to find confidence in themselves, to walk in someone else’s shoes, to work independently as well as with a group, to be something larger than themselves and to think creatively.
    — Marie Jagger-Taylor,

  • This lifelong passion for the arts has its origins in Jagger-Taylor’s childhood, spending her Sundays singing, performing and playing piano with three generations of her family. Born in Pueblo, Colorado, the third oldest of nine children, she spent her childhood not only performing at home, but for members of her community. At a young age, she joined her grandmother Verlingia and sister Joni to bring performances to the residents of local nursing homes. Jagger-Taylor credits her family, especially her mother, for this drive.

    “My mom is truly who I credit with shaping my love for the arts. My mom, Emma Olive (Molly), gave me a truly special gift sharing her passion of the arts with me and my siblings,” she said. “My mom opened the door to thinking creatively, being creative and being courageous in thinking outside the box. She continues to be my role model as she tapped and did the splits into her 80s!”

    Even with this background, Jagger-Taylor’s professional start in the arts came unexpectedly, after attending Colorado College with the aim of going on to law school.

    “After graduation, the American Troupe of Players lost their choreographer and asked me to fill in. This took me to New York City, where I started teaching dance, choreographing and performing for off-Broadway companies,” she said. “While in NYC, I joined AEA [Americans Equity Association] and … toured Canada and the U.S. with ‘A Chorus Line,’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and the original ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.’” 

    After 10 years in New York City, Jagger-Taylor moved to Chicago, where she started a Youth Theatre Outreach Program and developed original works for the Center Theatre. She also joined SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and enjoyed doing film and voice-over work. 

    While there, she met Seth Reines, Artistic Director for The Little Theatre On The Square in Sullivan, Ill. This precipitated a move to Sullivan, where she savored the opportunity to play some of her favorite stage roles — Kathy in “Singin’ in the Rain,” Marie in “West Side Story,” Brooke in “Noises Off” and Cassie in “A Chorus Line.” 

    Marie Jagger-Taylor

     

    It was also during this time that her arts advocacy took off in earnest.

    “I served as the Education Director for the Little Theatre On The Square from 1998-2007 and then went to the Decatur Park District from 2007-20, where I served as the Cultural Arts Manager and continued to build community involvement, support and interests in the arts,” she said. “In 2020-21, I served as the Arts Education Specialist at the Decatur Public School District, where I advocated for equality in Arts Education and passed an Arts Education Policy for the Decatur Public School District.”

    And with this work came recognition: In 2011, she received the Women of Excellence Award for her work in the cultural arts. In 2013, she received the Jennifer Song Community Spirit Award, and in 2018, the Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award Honorable Mention. The Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award was especially prestigious, honoring K-12 theatre educators across the nation who have demonstrated monumental impact on the lives of students while embodying the highest standards of their profession. 

    “However,” she adds, “my greatest achievements are those I share with my husband, Jody, and our three children, Caleb, Emma and Gabe.” 

    Jagger-Taylor joined the MCAA as Director in 2021, after serving nearly 20 years on-and-off as an adjunct instructor for Millikin’s School of Theatre & Dance. Under her leadership, MCAA has continued the Millikin School of Music’s 100-year tradition of connecting highly trained faculty and upper-level Millikin students with community members of all ages. MCAA’s wide-ranging arts programming fosters an appreciation of, and participation in, the arts while providing members of the surrounding communities with experiences they otherwise wouldn’t have. 

    As Jagger-Taylor continues to build on MCAA’s legacy in the community — “I would love to see an alumni component of MCAA where we utilize our area alumni to offer programming for the community through MCAA, including artist-in-residencies for area schools” — she has never lost sight of that passion passed down from her mom. 

    • The opportunity to provide programming that keeps the arts alive, available and accessible to the community and students is what drives me,” she said. “I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the Big Blue community and truly appreciate the support the faculty, students and community have given me through supporting MCAA and our endeavors.
    — Marie Jagger-Taylor,

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