THEATER

Prosceniums on the perimeter

Throughout Central Texas, community theater troupes bring arts to the hinterlands

By Jeanne Claire van Ryzin
AMERICAN-STATESMAN ARTS WRITER
Thursday, July 23, 2009

Mention Austin theater and most people will think of the venues and troupes that call downtown home or who have transformed East Austin warehouses into experimental venues.

But there are many other theaters on the greater Austin landscape. And in a way, they are the vestiges of tradition. For decades, small regional cities in America sported their own community theater troupes or built venues to house traveling shows. They were the cultural lifeblood of many a community providing the only live entertainment available.

Though our region's suburban sprawl might blur the line between where the metropolis ends and where neighboring small towns begin, the tradition of community theaters is alive and well in Central Texas. In some towns, theater enthusiasts have banded together to form busy troupes. And forward-thinking patrons have rescued historic buildings - including many historic theaters - from destruction and lovingly restored them.

Here, then, is a roundup of some of our region's busiest theaters that put on shows far from downtown Austin.

Georgetown Palace Theatre

Where: 810 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown

Info: 512-869-7469, www.georgetownpalace.com

On stage now: 'Big River,' Mark Twain's classic story of Huck Finn and the mighty Mississippi River in musical form. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 16.

Cost: $22 ($20) seniors, $12 active military and student, $8 children 15 and under.

Regional royalty: Built as a classic movie house in the 1920s just off the courthouse square in Georgetown - and reopened in 2001 after an extensive restoration - the Palace Theatre is now one of the busiest regional theaters in Central Texas, drawing audiences from several surrounding counties. With an ever-increasing professionalism and glamour, this nonprofit theater presents a year-round selection of modern and classic musicals, comedies and dramas. Recent shows include 'The Producers,' 'Love, Sex & the IRS,' 'God's Man in Texas' and 'Grease.' Next season its 'Driving Miss Daisy' and 'Man of La Mancha,' among others. Teen and youth workshops provide training and opportunities for youngsters to perform.

Life meets art: In September, the Palace Theatre will once again head to the historic Williamson County Courthouse to stage 'You Can't Do That Dan Moody' - a play based on the landmark 1923 trial of a Ku Klux Klan member, an adventure the troupe has tried out to great success in the past. And it's theater verité at its best. The actual trial - the first time a Klan member was ever convicted in the United States - took place in the Williamson County Courthouse.

Bastrop Opera House

Where: 711 Spring St., Bastrop

Info: 512-321-6283, www.bastropoperahouse.com

On stage now: 'Souvenir,' a sweet play about the wealthy 1920s socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, who couldn't sing a note but became a legend for her bad singing. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 1. Optional dinner available at 7 p.m. catered by Fat Cat Catering.

Cost: $10 ($8 seniors, $7 students, children 14 and under $5). Dinner $15.

Preserving the past, forging the future: Built in 1889, the Bastrop Opera House was threatened with destruction in 1979 and was saved by a quickly formed nonprofit theater group that took possession of the elegant building, restored it and got it listed on the National Register of Historic Places and with the Texas Historical Commission. At the helm since 1984, director Chester Eitze (inset) has staged not only the classics typical of many small-town theaters, but he also has bravely carved out a space for new scripts and even taken his troupe to compete in the Texas Non-Profit Theater Festival where they have netted awards for their original work. "There's a lot of community theaters that won't take a chance on a new script because it has no track record," says Eitze. "But why wouldn't I want to do something new if it's good and interesting? It's what audiences like."

Tex-Arts

Where: Kam & James Morris Theater, 2300 Lohman's Spur, Lakeway

Info: 512-852-9079 www.tex-arts.org

On stage soon: The upcoming season starts in September with 'Nunsense' and also features 'I'll Be Seeing You,' 'The Glass Menagerie' and 'She Loves Me.'

Cost: Individual shows $30-$40. Season subscriptions $87 to $165

Live from New York: In 2005, veteran national theater professionals Todd Dellinger (a protégé of modern dance great Martha Graham, whose company and school in Manhattan he also managed) and Robin Lewis (who danced in several Broadway productions including Disney's 'Beauty & the Beast,' and 'Victor Victoria') landed in Lakeway and set out to bring professional musical theater training and shows to the Highland Lakes region. They succeeded in spades. Now Tex-Arts produces a season of polished, professional shows in its 120-seat theater and count more than 400 students in the academy. And Dellinger's and Lewis' Broadway connections have brought dozens of seasoned performers - including Shirley Jones­ and teachers to Lakeway.

Salado Silver Spur Theater

Where: 108 Royal St., Salado

Info: 254-947-9456. www.saladosilverspur.com

On stage now: 'Boom Town, or The Sinister Slickster's Fuelish Frame-up,' classic melodrama full of slapstick and farce, but with a slightly contemporary storyline involving an environment-saving manure mobile. Live piano music accompanies an original 20-minute silent-movie chase scene shot in the streets of Salado. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 15.

Cost: $8-$15

Fun on the suburban frontier: Salado's downtown historic district seemed like a perfect place in 2005 for a group of former members of Ringling Bros. Clown Alley to start a theater. Now, what was once the Sanford & Guest Granary & Feed Store is a theater and a popular destination in the tourist town. Classic vaudeville-style antics are mixed with stage comedy, slapstick and original silent films for family-friendly shows.

Hill Country Community Theater

Where: 4003 FM 2147, Marble Falls

Info: 830-798-8944, www.hcct.org

On stage now: 'Once Upon a Mattress,' offbeat musical version of the classic fairy tale 'The Princess and the Pea.' 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2:15 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 2.

Cost: $9-$20

Entertainment on the Balcones Escarpment: A 147-seat proscenium theater carved out of a former boat dealership serves as the home to a community troupe that puts on five shows a year that together attract more than 7,000 theater-goers. Past productions include 'Oliver,' 'South Pacific' and 'On Golden Pond.'

Way Off Broadway Community Players

Where: 10960 E. Crystal Fall Parkway, Cedar Park

Info: 512-259-5878, www.wobcp.org

On stage soon: 'Hartburn Hotel.' Last in the humorous Calamity Gulch trilogy by Ryan Garrity. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Aug. 7-22.

Cost: $8-$15

Far from the Big Apple: This all-volunteer troupe puts on a busy yearlong season of musicals and comedies. And a series of classes preps those interested in taking the stage.

Sam Bass Community Theater

Where: 600 Lee St., Memorial Park, Round Rock

Info: (512) 244-0440, www.sambasstheatre.org

On stage now: 'Schoolhouse Rock,' the stage version of the Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday educational musical cartoons. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 15.

Cost: $10-$15

Right on track: The Old Depot Stage was actually the original train depot building of Round Rock. But in 1984, it was moved to Memorial Park and transformed into a theater. Now, it serves as a busy community theater with seven to eight shows a season and also offers youth theater programs and an annual director's workshop.

Gaslight Baker Theater

Where: 216 S. Main St., Lockhart

Info: 512-376-5653, www.gaslightbakertheatre.org

On stage now: 'Peril at the High Seas,' a classic musical melodrama set in the Roaring Twenties. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Aug. 1 (matinee 2 p.m. July 25)

Cost: $8-$12

Not waiting for Guffman: Lockhart served as the location for the satirical 1996 film 'Waiting for Guffman' about a small-town theater troupe anxiously waiting for the arrival of Guffman, a Broadway producer. But to heck with Broadway - the Gaslight Baker Theater, in a historic 1930s former movie house, forges on by staging new and classic dramas, comedies and musicals.

EmilyAnn Theater & Gardens

Where: 1101 FM 2325, Wimberley

Info: 512-847-6969; www.emilyann.org

On stage soon: 'The Winter's Tale' is this year's annual 'Shakespeare Under the Stars' event featuring high school theater students. 8:15 p.m. nightly July 27-Aug. 9 (no show Aug. 2)

Cost: $10-$15.

A stage under the Texas stars: A 12-acre site in the Hill Country features an outdoor stage for 'Broadway Under the Stars' and 'Shakespeare Under the Stars' summer shows as well as plays hosts to an annual holiday Trail of Lights display and the Butterfly Festival in April. The theater was founded by Ann and Norm Rolling in honor of their daughter, Emily Ann , a Wimberley High School theater student killed in a car accident in 1996. Theater classes are also offered.

Wimberley Playhouse

Where: 450 Old Kyle Road, Wimberley

Info: 512-847-0575, www.wimberleyplayers.org

On stage soon: 'Stop the World, I Want to Get Off,' now classic musical about a circus clown who is too busy dreaming of what life could be to actually live life. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, July 31-Aug. 23.

Cost: $15

The hills are alive: Now in its third decade, the Wimberley Players started as a small group of volunteers with no decent space to put on shows. But as the Hill Country attracted more urbanites fleeing the city, the troupe grew in professionalism and size. The 117-seat Wimberley Playhouse is home to a busy season of musicals, dramas and comedies.

North By Northwest Theatre Company

Where: Various locations

Info: www.nxnwtheatre.org

Not SXSW: This newly formed all-volunteer group came together specifically to stage productions in various venues in Austin's outlying suburbs and communities.

Tablerock Festival

Where: Goodnight Amphitheater, 409 Royal St., Salado

Info: (254) 947-9205, www.tablerock.org

On stage now: 'Salado Legends,' pageant theater show relates history of Salado region. 8:15 p.m. Saturday and Aug. 2

Cost: $5-$17

Living history: In an almost-forgotten regional theater tradition, the Tablerock Festival each summer stages a dramatic, musical show that charts the history of the Central Texas area from the Tonkawa Indians to the Spanish explorers to the early settlers.