The stars must align themselves for a community theater to take shape - those stars being dedication, timing, strong friendships, generosity and a little bit of luck.
For the Haines City Community Theatre, those stars made a constellation in 1981 when co-founder Nancy March, Jan Brungard and a handful of others, decided to try their hand using an old abandoned school without air conditioning.
Two of those stars, Nancy March and Renee Palmer, recently sat down to talk about the theater's past, contemplating how far it had come from ceiling fans and rented lighting boards to a much-loved, successful theater operation in its 28th year.
March, and Palmer, now president of the Haines City Community Theatre, have what you'd call a strong bond.
"We're not very good friends," March says, "we only have dinner every Tuesday."
"For 25 years," Palmer adds.
When March helped compile a faculty talent show at Haines City High School, no one knew the idea would turn into a seasonal theater. Soon after, March, along with Jan Brungard, a math teacher at the high school, Tom King, a retired executive of the steel industry, Jacque Drummond, Theron Stangry, Bert Saunders and director Ann Wilford, would produce Haines City Community Theatre's first show, "The Curious Savage," by John Patrick, in March 1981, using the high school stage as their forum. But they soon realized the large stage wasn't "conducive," as March remembers, to their needs. They also didn't want to constantly battle for the space.
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A "Vaudeville Review," one of many shows performed at the Haines City Community Theatre. This photo is from a newspaper clipping.
Provided by Haines City Community Theatre |
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March and the others began renting a small, dilapidated building next to what is now the city's middle school. They rented the building for a dollar per year from the county school district. When they found out the city was ready to condemn the 1920s-era building, they struck a deal to rent it from them. The theater got its venue while managing to maintain an almost-100-year-old building.
From there, March, Brungard and the others managed to secure two grants with the Haines City City Commission to help build their new theatre. Norman Small from Theatre Winter Haven also dedicated his time and loaned some equipment to the baby theater to get its jump-start. But for years, the theater's ventilation system consisted of only ceiling fans in the Central Florida heat for the audience, and they were still renting lighting equipment from places as far away as Tampa.
One auspicious year, however, an undisclosed donor gave the young theater $30,000, which helped finally fund an air-conditioning system and its own lighting board.
The journey, though a successful one, hasn't been without some pitfalls along the way.
"Some things happen that you have no control over," March says.
Including the time when Tom King had to pull out of the director's chair in 1982 for the theater's production of "Come Blow Your Horn" due to illness. Or when the lighting board busted the day of a show opening and it arrived fixed just minutes before curtain.
"People fall off the stage," Palmer adds. "Things go wrong."
There's often a shortage of men, and Palmer herself has stood in during a production when she's had to, sometimes even changing the male part to a female to accommodate their needs, as she did recently in their production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." They aren't always able meet those needs.
"Sometimes you have to take what's available," Palmer says.
"Our set is small, there isn't really any wing space or fly space and we are usually limited to one set per show," March says of the theater, which is also a factor they have had to learn to work with.
But the team always seems to manage with flying colors. Palmer, who started out as a makeup artist, then began acting and soon after broke into directing with the theatre's first musical production, "The Pajama Game."
The most successful one to date, she claims, was the Southern farce "Dearly Departed," which the theater group has performed twice.
"It gets the most laughs," she says.
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In the years since Haines City Community Theatre was founded, many shows have been performed on its stage including "Come Blow Your Horn." This photo is from a newspaper clipping.
Provided by Haines City Community Theatre |
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"Our main audience consists of snowbirds," March points out, which is a huge factor in dictating when their season begins and ends (November to May). Northerners apparently enjoy laughing at Southerners, which is part of the reason "Dearly Departed" is so well liked in the community.
March, who has directed her fair share of the theater's productions, names the late 1990s productions of "Steel Magnolias" and "Wrong Turn" as two of her favorites. Another unique performance was "A Dash of Rosemary," a play about Rosemary Clooney, where the production included live musicians.
There's a healthy combination of professional and amateur actors, according to March, which makes their environment special. But no one is ever paid for his or her performances, which creates a level playing field. The theater also founded a group called the Clay Cut Players. It's a local touring company that allows people with busy schedules to become involved. These are people who can't commit to a play schedule's tight demands.
These days, the theater gives away an annual $1,000 scholarship to a Haines City High School student involved in the arts. Some of its performers have enjoyed careers in entertainment in various venues such as Sea World and even Cirque du Soleil London. Though many elements have gone into the theater's success, it's the pure joy and excitement of March and Palmer that shine bright and seemed to have led the way.
"We love it, and we have a good time doing it," Palmer says.
There generally are three shows each season and tickets are $10 per person.
Because the community theater is completely volunteer based, funding comes strictly from ticket sales and private donations.
