Fall 2011 issue of the High Springs & Alachua magazine A Small Town Theater With Big Town Fun By Larry Behnke An entertainment gem sparkles in downtown High Springs, yet surprisingly few townsfolk see its light. People in High Springs are still discovering the theater, said Lorraine Kirkland, President of High Springs Community Theater (HSCT). We get more people from Lake City and Gainesville, Live Oak and Newberry too. Arlene Levine agrees. She has acted, volunteered and represents HSCT at the monthly Chamber meetings. I once did a survey of people attending our plays, Levine said. The least amount of patrons come from High Springs. How is this possible with a group that got its start in 1993? Kirkland would like to improve local attendance. We would love to see more people come from High Springs and Alachua, she said. Levine added, We hope to involve more of the community in the theater. But recognition travels slowly and there is competition with home TVs, especially in a tight economy. The HSCT has always relied on the hard work of a few devoted individuals. Its first play, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, was held at the High Springs New Century Woman s Club, a local institution more than a century old. The theater s first board of directors were Graham and Diane Williams, who ran the Great Outdoors Restaurant; Jim Gabriel, a bicycle shop owner and Jeanette Peters who wrote grants to fund the endeavor. Thirty-nine shows played during the partnership with the Woman s Club, which also benefited. HSCT members volunteered to improve the old building. They expanded the stage, enclosed the green room and added a mini-balcony for lights. Their final contribution to the Woman s Club was building on a new addition with a lobby and two restrooms (no more Porta- Potties during plays!). Then in October 2001 HSCT found its own place, an old church building three blocks east of the Woman s Club on the same side of First Avenue. It had held at least three different congregations and a craft mall. Modifications were begun immediately and continue to this day.
Tom Solomon, owner of the Rustic Inn, did much of the interior work: a tearoom, green room and dressing room. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place February 21, 2002. A week later Man of La Mancha opened. The theme song of the play summed up the mood of the theater group who had dreamed The Impossible Dream. Renovations are ongoing. They have included roof repair, a handicap access ramp, railings and tile for the porch, new seating and window work. Some happened because of grants; all required the work of volunteers. A new marquee is next. Youth Theater In 2003 a new feature was begun, the Summer Youth Production, with acting by youth ages eight to 18. Adults helped at first, but now the annual play is totally produced by teens. The August 2011 play, Beauty and the Beast was directed by Sadie DePeter, who got her start at HSCT acting, doing lights and makeup. The somewhat shy 15-year-old said acting and directing brought her out of her shell. She finds it rewarding to work as part of a group in creating the unique experience of a play. Past summers youth productions have included Aladdin, Wizard of Oz, Babes in Toyland, Snow White, Jungle Book and Charlotte s Web. The Money Funding HSCT is an ongoing task, which uses sponsorship, patrons and many volunteers. We just can t make enough through ticket sales to cover our expenses, said Kirkland. The current president s jobs include finding plays and directors, purchasing the rights and buying scripts. It costs us $900 just for the right to put on a play, Kirkland said. That is $78 per performance, plus we pay $9.90 per script. She said the youth productions cost only $40 per performance, But we have to buy more scripts. The recent youth play required 25 scripts. The admission to watch the play was only $5. None of the board members, cast or crew is paid; their volunteer work (averaging 1,500 hours total per production) is done for the love of theater. A Walkway of Fame in front of the theater is made of bricks that people sponsor. Each brick can be engraved with three lines or logos for a donation
of $100. Me Act? Kirkland is among many over the years who surprised themselves getting involved in theater. A friend asked me to fill in [act] for her when she needed surgery, Kirkland said. I had wanted to do theater, but was reluctant. The director asked Kirkland to expand her involvement and she enjoyed it. By then I was hooked, she said. It was a good experience. She most recently played in Butterflies Are Free this past June. Few small towns are fortunate enough to host their own playhouse, and the variety and caliber of HSCT plays over the years is striking. Plays performed include The Fantastics, M.A.S.H., Inherit the Wind, Our Town, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Hound of the Baskervilles, Arsenic and Old Lace, Oklahoma, Steel Magnolias, and 1776 The Musical. Malcolm Sanford, current HSCT secretary, got his feet wet at HSCT with that last play and has done others. He writes a monthly column about the theater in a local paper. And people are still discovering the theater. Not Just Plays Kirkland mentioned other events at the playhouse. Nationally known theater expert Dr. Will Eyerly had conducted workshops for youth over the years. Ross Ambrose taught lighting and set design classes (Ambrose also did most of the work building two new restrooms and other renovations). Irish dancers performed and another time an actor did a reading as Mark Twain. Local artists display their work on the walls of the tearoom. The theater is open to other events that involve the community. Each of the past two years a dinner theater took place at the old opera house, the upstairs of the Great Outdoors Restaurant. People were served dinner while watching a comedic murder mystery. Dot Harvey volunteered for many years with HSCT. She can tell much about the theater, but wants to emphasize one aspect. All productions at HSCT are safe for all family members, Harvey said. Family Time
But Kirkland added that it goes beyond the audience. Getting whole families involved is wonderful. It s a wholesome activity, even inspirational, she said. It helps to know more about yourself and the world around you. Pete and Wanda Roe have to agree. When their 11-year-old son Jedidiah asked if he could audition for the play Oliver, they figured they would go along for support, maybe hand out programs if he got the part. They brought along Jed s sister, 8-year-old Crimson. Jed got the part; then the director asked Crimson if she wanted to be in the play too. In fact, the director said they could also use Pete and Wanda. All four family members greatly enjoyed being involved with HSCT, a spark that grew. It became our family activity, instead of say, baseball, Pete said. It was our community life, something we all enjoyed together. The family went on to appear in other plays at HSCT and at the Gainesville Community Playhouse. Jedidiah got involved in lighting design, so for a while Pete became the master electrician at the Playhouse. Crimson enjoyed acting more and Wanda went along, both of them acting in several plays. Wanda is still on the board at the Playhouse. The Big Time Jedidiah is now in his final year of grad school, interning on Broadway with Brian McDevitt, who has won eight Tony s for lighting design. Crimson recently moved to Brooklyn and is interning with a Broadway group, acting in films and dancing in music videos. Two High Springs youngsters are now on Broadway in New York City, still doing what sparked their interest many years ago when they first joined a cast at High Springs Community Theater. Next Up Next Season holds plans for two Neal Simon plays, The Odd Couple (Male Version) and Rumors. Kirkland said she was confident they would also be doing Crimes of the Heart, a southern comedy, which was a popular movie too.
Moon Over Buffalo (a husband and wife comedy, arguing the value of live plays versus movies) runs October 7 through 30. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm., and Sundays at 2 pm. For more information, to become a patron or to volunteer, contact Lorraine Kirkland at 386-752-7994 or daisyplay@comcast.net. The theater is located two blocks east of Main Street on N.E. First Avenue. Its website is http://highspringscommunitytheater.com; the phone is 386-454-3525.