GULF SHORES - James Keith Posey, sitting in the George C. Meyer Performing Arts Center in Gulf Shores, is watching the dress rehearsal performance for The Sound of Music. When the time comes for the first scene change from an abbey to the Von Trapp home, the lights in the front of the house darken, but lights remain on backstage.

“Kill the lights back there,” he yells.

An unseen voice yells back, “How are we supposed to see?”

“Not my problem,” Posey replies.

The director and producer of the South Baldwin Community Theatre play, now in the middle of its run, brings a no-nonsense professionalism to his role. It is a role he honed as a performer for several years in theatres from New York to Chicago and beyond.

“I’ve been dancing and singing my whole life,” he said. “I got started in local theatre when I was still a youngster in school.”

Posey followed his passion throughout his tenure at Hewitt-Trussville High School just outside Birmingham, where he graduated in 1995. “I was lucky enough to have been named the Alabama State Choral Music Student of the Year, and did summer stock theatre for what is now known as the Red Mountain Theatre Company,” he said.

Posey's body of work was impressive enough to earn him a place as a student at the prestigious American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City, where he studied for two years. After completing his coursework there, he said he hired an agent and began to get roles in various productions.

Although he was able to perform professionally, he said the roles never paid much money. He said after a few years as a struggling artist, he was thinking about coming home “because I was broke” when he auditioned for the role of Sonny in the national touring production of “Grease.” “

I really felt like I nailed the audition,” he said. The money situation was bad enough that a few days after the audition, he had to move out of his apartment. “After a couple of weeks I still hadn’t heard anything from the producer.”

Finally, Posey said he pulled a “big no-n”" and called the producer. “I called and they asked me for my name. When I told them, they told me they had been trying to get in touch with me for two weeks. Somehow during my moves, they couldn’t keep up with where I was,” he said. “Two weeks later we opened in California.”

Posey said he remained with the tour for the next 13 months, performing in 682 shows across the nation. After his run in the show was completed, he moved back to New York, but after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he decided he was moving back to Alabama.

He attended Huntington College in Montgomery, and also worked at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, where he said he was determined to earn a Master’s degree. However, he said God had other plans for him.

“I took a job as an intern working with the choir at the First United Methodist Church in Montgomery,” he said. “I had always been active in church from the time I was a child. I even found my way to church when I was in New York City. Even when I was on tour with ‘Grease,’ five of us cast members formed a bible study group.”

Posey said the experience at the Montgomery FUMC was different from any other job he had ever held, and it was then he thought seriously about going into the ministry. Posey discussed going into the ministry with Montgomery FUMC Music Director Jack Horner.

“He told me about a music minister position that had been open for some time at Gulf Shores United Methodist Church,” Posey said. He applied for the opening and was offered the job. “I’ve been down here seven years now,” he said.

According to Posey, the membership of his church is very supportive of him artistically, allowing him to perform everything from bluegrass to classical and everything in between. “They’ve let me grow as an artist,” he said. “I love the people at the church. They’re passionate about the arts.”

This year marks the first time Posey has become involved with the South Baldwin Community Theatre. He was approached by SBCT Board members about sitting with them on the board, and he accepted. “I came to them with ideas how to set up their schedule, financials and marketing,” he said. “I’d done that with other theatre groups in the past.”

He said one of the things he recommended out of the gates was a “back to basics” approach for the theatre. “I told them we needed to do well-known shows really well,” he said. “Once we get the community excited and involved in these shows, then we can move into some lesser-known, more adventurous productions.”

The first production in his back-to-basics approach is the current production of “The Sound of Music.” According to Posey, the play is the most well-known and popular show ever. It is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. Posey is both director and producer of the production. “Community theatre is great. I’m wearing several hats,” he said. “Not only am I producing and directing, but I’m also choreographing and painting.”

The play opened Sept. 17 and will run weekends through Oct. 4. The next show for the theatre will be a production of “High School Musical” in the spring. “This show opens up the theater to a new generation,” he said. “We’re going to have auditions at schools all over the county for this.”

Posey said he could not imagine his life without music, dancing, acting and other arts. “Had I not been exposed to music and theatre in school my life would have been very different.”