Rowlett Lakeshore Times > News
Show time: Local theater traveling around the area to perform
By Kenny Green, kgreen@starlocalnews.com
A local group of actors are spreading holiday cheer to nursing homes around the area and preparing to take their skills on the road in 2013.
The Amateur Community Theater of Rowlett is waiting on the construction of a new performance venue. Their old performance location is being torn down as part of development around the Rowlett DART Rail Station. In the mean time they are living by the old expression ‘the show must go on’ and taking their skills on the road.
“My family decided to purchase a building near the clock tower in downtown to relocate our business to. Part of the building will be our business and another part will be a small event place that people can rent out. We will use this part of the building to host the performances of the theater in the future,” said Suzan Fulton, who runs the theater.
Fulton said work on the new building is underway and will hopefully be completed by the late next year.
“If it’s done by the summer that would be wonderful,” Fulton said.
The new theater will be larger than the previous venue, which accommodated approximately 55 people per show. The new one is expected to seat 150 people.
“People are so excited for us to move into the new venue. We can hardly wait,” Fulton said.
Until the new theater is completed, the group is taking its services on the road and branching out to neighboring communities to continue to show off their talents. The group recently performed a series of radio show reenactments at a couple of nursing home and assisted living facilities in Mesquite and Rowlett.
“We did a couple of radio shows this past Saturday at the Christian Care Center in Mesquite and at the Senior Care Center in Rowlett. When we do the radio shows we are trying to bring a show from the time period of most of the series, the 1940s and 1950s. This time we chose some stuff from the George Burns, George Allen and Abbott and Costello. It was really funny. One of the things we did was a take-off of the old Abbott and Costello Who’s on First skit. This one involved taking vitamins,” Fulton said.
Fulton said the group has been doing the radio shows at nursing homes and assisted care facilities for the past several years during the holidays.
“This is just something we felt in our hearts would be something fun and rewarding to do,” Fulton said. “The hardest thing about doing the shows is sometimes we don’t know if they are enjoying it until after because they are real quiet. I had a geriatric doctor tell me once not to expect them to show much emotion. I decided to ask a couple if the music was too loud and I looked down and this one man was tapping his foot. I realized that you can tell by little things that they were enjoying it.”
ACTOR will be traveling around the area next year and performing The Very Great Grandson of Sherlock Holmes by Bill Majeski. The play focuses on a decedent of Sherlock Holmes that is trying to solve a murder and live up to the name of Sherlock Holmes.
They begin performing the play on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 at the Still Water Community Church, 8401 Princeton Road in Rowlett.
“They wanted us to come and do a couple of shows,” Fulton said.
ACTOR also will perform the play at Sunnyvale Baptist Church in Sunnyvale but the exact dates are still pending. The group is looking for other churches or similar places to perform the play as well.
“We are offering churches first because most have a way of having a stage and lights. We won’t charge them anything to perform the play. They can use it as an opportunity to have us perform as a fundraiser if they choose. We are doing it because it helps to keep our name out there,” Fulton said.
For information on ACTOR or to inquire about booking ACTOR to perform contact Suzan Fulton at 972-463-4880 or by email at info@actortx.com.
The Amateur Community Theater of Rowlett is waiting on the construction of a new performance venue. Their old performance location is being torn down as part of development around the Rowlett DART Rail Station. In the mean time they are living by the old expression ‘the show must go on’ and taking their skills on the road.
“My family decided to purchase a building near the clock tower in downtown to relocate our business to. Part of the building will be our business and another part will be a small event place that people can rent out. We will use this part of the building to host the performances of the theater in the future,” said Suzan Fulton, who runs the theater.
Fulton said work on the new building is underway and will hopefully be completed by the late next year.
“If it’s done by the summer that would be wonderful,” Fulton said.
The new theater will be larger than the previous venue, which accommodated approximately 55 people per show. The new one is expected to seat 150 people.
“People are so excited for us to move into the new venue. We can hardly wait,” Fulton said.
Until the new theater is completed, the group is taking its services on the road and branching out to neighboring communities to continue to show off their talents. The group recently performed a series of radio show reenactments at a couple of nursing home and assisted living facilities in Mesquite and Rowlett.
“We did a couple of radio shows this past Saturday at the Christian Care Center in Mesquite and at the Senior Care Center in Rowlett. When we do the radio shows we are trying to bring a show from the time period of most of the series, the 1940s and 1950s. This time we chose some stuff from the George Burns, George Allen and Abbott and Costello. It was really funny. One of the things we did was a take-off of the old Abbott and Costello Who’s on First skit. This one involved taking vitamins,” Fulton said.
Fulton said the group has been doing the radio shows at nursing homes and assisted care facilities for the past several years during the holidays.
“This is just something we felt in our hearts would be something fun and rewarding to do,” Fulton said. “The hardest thing about doing the shows is sometimes we don’t know if they are enjoying it until after because they are real quiet. I had a geriatric doctor tell me once not to expect them to show much emotion. I decided to ask a couple if the music was too loud and I looked down and this one man was tapping his foot. I realized that you can tell by little things that they were enjoying it.”
ACTOR will be traveling around the area next year and performing The Very Great Grandson of Sherlock Holmes by Bill Majeski. The play focuses on a decedent of Sherlock Holmes that is trying to solve a murder and live up to the name of Sherlock Holmes.
They begin performing the play on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 at the Still Water Community Church, 8401 Princeton Road in Rowlett.
“They wanted us to come and do a couple of shows,” Fulton said.
ACTOR also will perform the play at Sunnyvale Baptist Church in Sunnyvale but the exact dates are still pending. The group is looking for other churches or similar places to perform the play as well.
“We are offering churches first because most have a way of having a stage and lights. We won’t charge them anything to perform the play. They can use it as an opportunity to have us perform as a fundraiser if they choose. We are doing it because it helps to keep our name out there,” Fulton said.
For information on ACTOR or to inquire about booking ACTOR to perform contact Suzan Fulton at 972-463-4880 or by email at info@actortx.com.
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