The Sun Bay Paper Page 15 January 28, 2022 - February 3, 2022 Cont. from pg 1 full already, it is a quaint setting with 6 rows of seats, set up stadium style so there is not a bad seat in the house. We had a chance to speak with Michelle, the theater’s artistic director, after the great performance which we enjoyed immensely but won’t tell you about here because it was that show’s next to last performance and I don’t want to tease you with describing a wonderful show you can no longer attend. Personally, I really liked the theater’s set up... as I said, it’s a quaint setting… There are only about 80 seats! “It’s been amazing,” Michelle told us. “we’re selling out shows,. which is awesome.” Michelle said they opened the theater last March 2020 (I guess they are our ‘not so new’ neighbors) with little publicity and no advertising. Luckily word got out and quickly spread... so far, it’s been a hit. Michelle said she has been putting on plays and musicals for about 16 years, mostly, anywhere she could, starting with musical performances at the Alliance for the Arts all those years ago, but also put on shows at various churches, parks, high school gyms and other real theaters when the opportunity presented itself. But they never had a venue of their own “It wasn’t always easy but I just love it”. she told me. The problem with not having a permanent location is they weren’t able to schedule performance too far in advance, and now with their own venue they can schedule out a whole season and are also able to do smaller shows that they couldn’t do prior due to the higher costs of renting out temporary spaces. Next seasons is already in the works and the schedule will be available soon, they already have confirmation that Rock Horror Picture Show will be on the list and they will soon be bringing in some Tribute Band shows too! Located at 16120 San Carlos Blvd #5 Fort Myers, just north of Summerlin Road, the space houses two organizations under one roof: The Creative Theater Workshop, a nonprofit children’s theater program that Michelle has run since 2006; and a community theater with actors of all ages. Both organizations stage plays and musicals at Fort Myers Theatre so if you are interested in sponsoring local arts, they would love to hear from you! For parents and their theater kid actors, the family theater set-up offers a rare opportunity to share the stage together. Kids join up to take theater classes with “The Creative Theatre Workshop,” and perform in children’s theater productions and then their parents can play some of the adult roles in the kids shows or they may even find themselves acting in the community theater. In their recent production of “the Wizard of Oz” one family had three generations of actors on stage. Michelle said they love that they can offer that for their community. And they hope more budding actors come out for future auditions for the rest of the season, whether their kids are interested in acting or they are interested themselves...and on that note: currently, they are having auditions for upcoming productions of the Lion King Jr and The Addams Family! They have one or two performances scheduled per month including the kids productions and next up the theater takes us back to the roaring 20’s, with all its Jazz, Flappers and bootleg liquor parties! The performance of “The Great Gatsby” opens February 11th, and only runs till the 20th so if you’re interested in going, get your tickets early! Tickets are $20 to $35 for most shows and the *Kids show are $20, and you can wear a mask if you want to but they are not required. for more info. 239-323-6570: or go to: www.ftmyerstheatre.com Shows remaining this season: Feb. 11-20th. “The Great Gatsby” *February 25-27th SnowWhite &The 7 Dwarfs* March 4-13th. “Grease” * March 17-18th. Lion King (homeschool) * April 8-16th. “Alice In Wonderland” May 6-15th. “The Addams Family” June 18-26th. “A Chorus Line” Youth Summer Camp schedule May 31-June 3. Broadway Revue Camp June 6 - 17. Adams Family (ages 10-18) June 6 - 17. Magic Treehouse Pirates Past Noon (ages 6-12) June 20 - July 1. Moana Jr (young cast 6-12, older cast 10-18) July 5-8. Broadway Revue (ages 6-15) July 11 - 22. Madagascar Jr (young cast 6-12, older cast 10-18) July 25 - August 5. Matilda Jr (young cast 6-12, older cast 10-18) Next Fall’s already scheduled youth theatre productions: September 23 - October 2. Chorus Line Young Actors Edition November 4 - 13. Newsies Jr Local Theater, Local Artists
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