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Special Section: Community Theatre
bills, which they say will be higher than they are used to. They also
have to jump through some hoops to get the necessary permits.
As for the two-year lease, Mabrey isn’t worried.
“Some people say, ‘but you’ll have to take everything away
in two years,’ and I say, we’ve been taking everything away after
every show where we were! Our sets were kept in the garage and
our costumes kept in our basement. We used to move every stick
of the theatre ourselves all the time, so this is much better.”
And they are dealing with one unusual problem: people keep
walking in their front door to ask about the theatre.
“Here we’re around the public everyday, the mall walkers and
the shoppers,” Mabrey says. “We’re meeting people, getting to
tell them about our theatre and our productions, and the people
are thrilled.”
And so are Mabrey and Kelley, and the professionals they
employ.
“It’s so easy to come here—no one has to work at getting to
the theatre,” Ackermann says. “And we’re already selling tickets
really well, and that’s encouraging.”
In cities across the country there are aging malls in similar
straights surrounded by theatres ravenous for the amenities
such a place could offer—could this be a trend?
Kevin M. Mitchell
The set of The Subject Was Roses in a former men’s garment store
22 April 2009 • www.stage-directions.com