Story and photo submitted by Yavapai College
While he only recently started as an instructor at Yavapai College, Musical Productions for Performing Arts professor Benjamin Naasz has embraced the culture.
Hired in spring 2025 as an adjunct faculty member, Naasz went full-time the following semester. Beyond the college, he is the co-owner of The Movement Studio with his wife Sasha and the founder of Footlight Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering community theater, youth performance and arts education throughout the Prescott Valley region.
“My family and I used to visit Prescott every holiday while living in Tucson, and we eventually decided that since we loved the community so much, we might as well make it home,” Naasz says. “After moving here and opening The Movement Studio, I saw that Yavapai College was producing Chicago. I auditioned, was cast as Mary Sunshine, and also joined the production team as the show’s designer — that’s how my connection with Yavapai College first began.”
Naasz says his experience teaching at Yavapai College has been incredible. Brought aboard to overhaul both the technical theater and theater programs, he also oversees the dance program.
“Being in a position where I can bring together my performing, directing, producing and technical experience has truly been a dream come true,” Naasz says. “I’ve been preparing for a job like this my whole life, and it’s been amazing to finally do it all in one place surrounded by such passionate students and supportive colleagues.”
Naasz says that theater education and training open doors to a wide range of opportunities — from acting, directing and designing to producing, stage management and arts administration.
“It’s a specialized field, but for those who master their craft, there’s tremendous demand for creative, disciplined and collaborative professionals both onstage and behind the scenes,” he says.
Not only does the field offer many job opportunities, but also something more.
“Engaging in the arts nourishes people by helping them connect more deeply with empathy, imagination and the shared human experience,” Naasz says. “Theater has the unique power to challenge perspectives, inspire compassion and bring people together in ways few other mediums can.”
Naasz holds a BFA in musical theater and an MFA in scene design, and over the past 35 years he has built an extensive career in performing arts and as an educator.
