Parkview Theatre & Film Faculty
The best of the best! Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School boasts FIVE full time theatre faculty members with both professional experience and academic accolades. The heart of the Parkview Theatre & Film program is the passion and energy these five teachers have for creating meaningful and exciting learning opportunities for students.
April Gentry-SUTTERFIELD
April Gentry-Sutterfield teaches Acting I, II, and III (Concurrent Credit) as well as 9th Grade Freshman Seminar at Parkview. She brings 25 years of experience in the arts and education, with a career that bridges classroom teaching, independent artistry, and arts administration.
April began her teaching career in 2001 at Hot Springs Middle School, where she taught drama for three years before spending the next two decades as an independent teaching artist and small-business arts contractor. During this time, she led arts-based residencies in more than 50 public, private, charter, and cooperative schools across the state. In 2018, she founded a small business that partnered with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where she supervised a team of 7–11 teaching artists working across 14 elementary schools. In 2023, she returned to full-time teaching at Parkview.
She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Hendrix College and an M.F.A. in Drama & Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin.
Beyond the classroom, April directs Parkview’s Fall Main Stage Show, leads Thespian Troupe 7955, and mentors student directors in creating the school’s annual Black History performance.
Her love for theatre began in high school, when her drama teacher encouraged her to audition for the fall play her senior year. After landing a small role, she later earned the female lead in Oliver! and went on to receive a college theatre scholarship at the Thespian Festival. That pivotal moment sparked her lifelong dedication to theatre and arts education.
April began her teaching career in 2001 at Hot Springs Middle School, where she taught drama for three years before spending the next two decades as an independent teaching artist and small-business arts contractor. During this time, she led arts-based residencies in more than 50 public, private, charter, and cooperative schools across the state. In 2018, she founded a small business that partnered with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where she supervised a team of 7–11 teaching artists working across 14 elementary schools. In 2023, she returned to full-time teaching at Parkview.
She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Hendrix College and an M.F.A. in Drama & Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin.
Beyond the classroom, April directs Parkview’s Fall Main Stage Show, leads Thespian Troupe 7955, and mentors student directors in creating the school’s annual Black History performance.
Her love for theatre began in high school, when her drama teacher encouraged her to audition for the fall play her senior year. After landing a small role, she later earned the female lead in Oliver! and went on to receive a college theatre scholarship at the Thespian Festival. That pivotal moment sparked her lifelong dedication to theatre and arts education.
MatThew DuvalL
Mr. Duvall teaches Technical Theater 1, 2, and 3 at Parkview. He holds a BFA in Theater Design and Production with a minor in Religious Studies (Cum Laude) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MFA in Theater Production from Louisiana State University. Over the course of his career, he has worked with numerous professional live entertainment companies, including Arkansas Repertory Theater, the Tony Award–winning Dallas Theater Center, and the Glimmerglass Opera Festival, among many others across the Southeast. He has contributed to more than 200 plays, operas, musicals, films, pageants, ballets, and concerts.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Duvall serves as Auditorium Manager at Parkview. In this role, he oversees the design and production of scenery, props, lighting, sound, and projections for all theater department events and other productions held in Parkview’s auditorium. These include the 24-Hour Play Festival, Homecoming, the Fall Play, the Winter American Sign Language performance, Winter Wonderland, the Spring Musical, the Spring Dance Concert, as well as assemblies, large meetings, and outside group rentals.
Mr. Duvall first fell in love with theater through his passion for building and creating, paired with a love of storytelling. He credits his North Carolina public school teachers for channeling these interests into theater production and for showing him that a meaningful career in the field was possible. In 2024, he fulfilled a lifelong goal of teaching theater production when he joined the Parkview faculty. He now hopes to inspire his students in the same way his teachers once inspired him.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Duvall serves as Auditorium Manager at Parkview. In this role, he oversees the design and production of scenery, props, lighting, sound, and projections for all theater department events and other productions held in Parkview’s auditorium. These include the 24-Hour Play Festival, Homecoming, the Fall Play, the Winter American Sign Language performance, Winter Wonderland, the Spring Musical, the Spring Dance Concert, as well as assemblies, large meetings, and outside group rentals.
Mr. Duvall first fell in love with theater through his passion for building and creating, paired with a love of storytelling. He credits his North Carolina public school teachers for channeling these interests into theater production and for showing him that a meaningful career in the field was possible. In 2024, he fulfilled a lifelong goal of teaching theater production when he joined the Parkview faculty. He now hopes to inspire his students in the same way his teachers once inspired him.
Spencer Sutterfield
Mr. Sutterfield teaches Ensemble Theatre (Concurrent Credit), Theatre History, and Theatre Appreciation at Parkview. He holds a BSE in Theatre Education from Ouachita Baptist University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and an MFA in Drama & Theatre for Youth and Communities from The University of Texas at Austin. Since 2007, he has served as a drama specialist at Parkview, where he became Chair of the Theatre & Film Magnet in 2015. His excellence in teaching and leadership has been recognized with multiple honors, including 2023 LRSD High School Teacher of the Year, 2022 Arts Educator of the Year from TheatreSquared, and 2016 Regional Arkansas Teacher of the Year.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Sutterfield directs Arkansas Adventures, the Parkview main stage musical, and the Parkview Improv Troupe. He also serves as the Theatre & Film Magnet Chair.
Mr. Sutterfield discovered his love for theatre in 9th grade, when he attended his high school’s production of Oliver!—an experience that set him on a lifelong journey in the world of theatre ... and introduced him to Ms. Sutterfield who was playing the lead of Nancy at the time.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Sutterfield directs Arkansas Adventures, the Parkview main stage musical, and the Parkview Improv Troupe. He also serves as the Theatre & Film Magnet Chair.
Mr. Sutterfield discovered his love for theatre in 9th grade, when he attended his high school’s production of Oliver!—an experience that set him on a lifelong journey in the world of theatre ... and introduced him to Ms. Sutterfield who was playing the lead of Nancy at the time.
Tyler (Ty) Volz
Mr. Volz teaches Costume/Makeup I, Costume/Makeup II, Cinema Arts, and Children’s Theater at Parkview. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Radio, Television, and Video Broadcasting with a minor in Strategic Communication from The University of the Ozarks (Magna Cum Laude). His career spans more than a decade of professional experience in costuming, makeup, and performance.
Mr. Volz owned and operated a character entertainment company for twelve years, creating and performing children’s programming for library systems, and later ran his own costume shop for three years. He has designed costumes for professional productions across the United States, including award-winning costumes and collaborations with nationally recognized artists. His work in special effects makeup includes studying under and working alongside artists featured on the TV show FaceOff, earning recognition for his own award-winning makeup designs. He has also taught costuming and makeup workshops for a wide range of theater programs for over ten years.
At Parkview, Mr. Volz serves as the Auditorium Manager alongside the technical theater teacher and oversees costuming and makeup design for all major productions.
His love of theater began early—his family took him to his first professional audition at the age of five, and he has been involved in theater ever since. He often shares that his grandparents first met in their high school theater program, setting the stage for generations of family involvement in the arts.
Mr. Volz owned and operated a character entertainment company for twelve years, creating and performing children’s programming for library systems, and later ran his own costume shop for three years. He has designed costumes for professional productions across the United States, including award-winning costumes and collaborations with nationally recognized artists. His work in special effects makeup includes studying under and working alongside artists featured on the TV show FaceOff, earning recognition for his own award-winning makeup designs. He has also taught costuming and makeup workshops for a wide range of theater programs for over ten years.
At Parkview, Mr. Volz serves as the Auditorium Manager alongside the technical theater teacher and oversees costuming and makeup design for all major productions.
His love of theater began early—his family took him to his first professional audition at the age of five, and he has been involved in theater ever since. He often shares that his grandparents first met in their high school theater program, setting the stage for generations of family involvement in the arts.
Tamara Zinck
Mrs. Zinck teaches Mime, Theatre I, and Playwriting at Parkview. She holds both a BSE in Speech and Theatre Education and an MSE in English from Ouachita Baptist University. With forty years of teaching experience in the Little Rock School District, including the past nineteen as a drama specialist at Parkview, she has dedicated her career to cultivating students’ creativity and love of performance.
In addition to her classes, Mrs. Zinck directs the Parkview Mime Troupe, the Freshman One Act, and the annual Tales of the Crypt production. Her passion for theatre began in ninth grade after taking a Communicative Arts class, sparking a lifelong calling to teach. As a high school student in Casper, Wyoming, she was active in both theatre and forensics, and during college in Virginia, she toured the East Coast as part of a traveling theatre group. These early experiences solidified her belief in the power of theatre to inspire, challenge, and connect communities—an impact she continues to foster at Parkview.
In addition to her classes, Mrs. Zinck directs the Parkview Mime Troupe, the Freshman One Act, and the annual Tales of the Crypt production. Her passion for theatre began in ninth grade after taking a Communicative Arts class, sparking a lifelong calling to teach. As a high school student in Casper, Wyoming, she was active in both theatre and forensics, and during college in Virginia, she toured the East Coast as part of a traveling theatre group. These early experiences solidified her belief in the power of theatre to inspire, challenge, and connect communities—an impact she continues to foster at Parkview.
