In the US Community theater generally resembles professional theater in all ways except in the unpaid nature of the artists. Community theater provides the opportunity for diverse individuals, many of them in other professions, to create plays and have the satisfaction of being part of an active social and artistic community. excerpt from Wikipedia
My definition: a group of people that enjoys behaving like teenagers, thrives on equal amounts of stress & humor, and enjoys entertaining others.
The recent Hartsville Community Players show, "Sylvia", dared to put a non-traditional comedy with a lot of off color NYC language and humor on a small southern city stage. To do that took a lot of substitution... a few sprinkles of swear words (excuse me, "cuss" words) and a few other tweaks here and there to not shock the patrons too much while preserving the humor of the way a dog nearly ruins a 22 year old marriage.
Who are the stars of a community theater play?
Sylvia-Hartsville Community Players
Standing, left to right: Director Marty Barry; Elayne Mahn as "Leslie"; Tracy Price as "Phyliss"; Greg Vaught as "Tom". Seated, left to right: J.E.L. as "Kate"; Jim Gruber as "Greg", and Tina Powell as "Sylvia"
Are the stars of community theater the directors? The leads? The entire cast?
Nah.
They are all much too temperamental, sometimes tyrannical, and as for the actors... Patrick, my Stage Crew Genius nephew, has always called them "walking props"...they sometimes spoil a perfect set.
The real stars of community theater is and always will be the stage crew. And in Hartsville Community Players case, it's this guy, Joe Moree.
Joe Moree- Hartsville Community Players
He has a family, works at Sonoco, owns a campground, but you'd swear Joe lives at the theater when there is a show about to go on. From building sets, arranging the microphones, doing the lights and sound, unlocking and re-locking the theater, hauling in props and furniture, Joe pretty much does it all.
And he doesn't get the roses, the applause, or a chance to climb down from the booth to take a bow.
For this show, he did finally get some help from the wonderfully talented and brilliant Coker College professor & playwright Rhonda Knight, and some assistance from (the newest HCP Board member/actor/husband of the lovely actress Tracy/music instructor) Ron Price... but for weeks and weeks of rehearsals, it's been Joe.
He's the kind of guy that if he drives by and sees you have a flat tire, he'll pull off the road and put a plug in it for you... because his truck has every tool known to man. If you need anything at the theater, you'll hear him say, "I got that in the truck, just a minute." And he does it with a generous heart and a smile.
So, thank you, Joe. Because of your infinite amount of hours, my cast mates and I were able to perform on the arena you created for us of wood, lights and sound... and Marty Barry was able to see her vision as a director come to life.
The applause goes up to the booth to you first, each time.
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