LAKEPORT — The work at the Soper-Reese is coming to a close. We now have ramps for our mobility-challenged patrons, planter boxes and a courtyard along Martin Street and the stage has been enlarged. The back stage drape is being set up and hung. The new doors have been added and after a deep cleaning, we will be showcasing the new donor walls to thank those who have made major donations to the theater.
We are going to be holding a memorial for our beloved friend Joan Holman at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 12. Joan passed on June 5 and this is a very fitting way to give her a great send-off. If you had any contact with Joan, you will remember how she could get right to the point when she spoke and always made you think about what advice she had to offer. She is missed already. Please join us to remember this truly wonderful lady.
Our first production is the Lake County Singer-Songwriter Festival on Sunday, July 19. This is a fundraiser for KPFZ radio, 88.1 FM. Michael Barrish has assembled a group of local talent who will be playing and singing their own original works for the afternoon. The show starts at 2 p.m. so get there early for a good seat.
I just returned from the American Association of Community Theaters Festival (AACT Fest) in Tacoma, Wash. The AACT Fest showcased the best production companies from around the country. There, theatre groups performed one-hour plays that had won state competitions, regional competitions and were brought to Tacoma to compete for the national title of best of the best. It was amazing to see the quality of performances and staging from non-professionals at that level. AACT Fest was presented at the Pantages Theatre, a 1918 classic Vaudeville gem that seats 1,100 people.
The highlight of AACT Festwas the theater management conference that was held before AACT Fest. I met for three days with 24 other theater managers, artistic directors and executive directors from all over the United States. We conferred in a round table format at the rehearsal room below the main stage of the Pantages. We all shared tips, strategies, war stories and ideas about running theaters and performing art centers. The information and contacts made there, will be a great resource for the running of the Soper-Reese and a great help to the performing arts in the community.
Bert Hutt is the artistic director of the Soper-Reese Community Theatre (www.SoperReese.com).
