One of the major misconceptions about the Roxy Regional Theatre, I think, is the fact that everything we do throughout the week takes place inside the 153-seat theatre. So, as Saturday, October 30th quickly approached, we stocked up on coffee, energy bars and hit the floors running.
A typical Saturday at the Roxy is already jam-packed but this particular Saturday was a little more packed than usual. The day began with our Saturday School of the Arts at 10:00am. We are fortunate to have close to 60 young people takes the acting portion of the program with our Artistic Director, John McDonald. They are working on a “workshop in-formance” of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream coming up in December.
After acting class, Travis Kendrick took over as 25 young people stay on to take dance class where they are learning the techniques of musical theatre dance and have just begun their choreography projects. If the Roxy does not have a matinée on Saturday, those 25 young people would then stay on for voice class currently taught by Lisa Conklin-Bishop, faculty at Austin Peay State University.
While the School of the Arts program took place inside, preparations were being made outside for the Roxy’s participation in the annual Fright on Franklin. Old Christmas Carol sets, draped with dyed tobacco close and some muslin from Hodgepodge gave a spooky feel. Ghost luminaries made out of recycled milk jugs lit the path around the table.
As dance class let out at 1:30pm, the audience for the matinée began to shuffle in to the Roxy for the afternoon performance of The War of the Worlds. After Martians attacked the earth…again…and the bow was taken, the cast quickly shifted gears into A Tale of Two Cities rehearsal for the next three hours.
I, however, was absent from that afternoons rehearsal, as I was committed to Fright on Franklin. Myself, along with Roxy board members Mary Nell Wooten, Judi Sinks, Nancye Britton and Walter Marczak manned the tent throughout the evening, handing out candy to thousands of little goblins lining the streets of Historic Downtown Clarksville. I must applaud the Parks and Recreation Department, Niki Crowe and Planters Bank for a successful event. We, at the Roxy, were able to reach a lot of people that day just because of interest in the old 1947 building that stands on the corner of First and Franklin.
At the time when most people are ready to close up shop and go home and put their feet up, the Roxy continued it’s long Saturday with the final public performance of The War of the Worlds, presented to a packed house Saturday evening. Are you tired yet?
When you look back on a jam-packed day like that Saturday you know that all the hard work and long hours are worth it. We get to reach 60 plus young people every Saturday, molding and teaching them in the arts. We were able to reach close to 250 audience members coming into the Roxy and supporting live theatre. But most importantly, on that particular Saturday, we were able to reach thousands of ‘Clarksvillians’ through Fright on Franklin and bring awareness to the live-professional theatre that has been on the corner of First and Franklin for the last 29 years. It makes it all worth it.
This week A Tale of Two Cities continues performances on Friday, November 11th at 8:00pm and Saturday, November 12th at 2:00pm and 8:00pm. Performances continue that following week on Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKqTCGgf40[/youtube]
See you at the theatre!
