Far from resting on the laurels of an illustrious 50-year history, the new guard at the Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT) is keyed up to plunge into the future, exploring the potential of new technology and global communications to open the curtain on a new era.
President Peter Luciano, First Vice President Dave McIntosh, Production Manager Rosann Balbontin, seasoned director Russell Mack and play reading committee member Mark Boyer recently shared their thoughts on how they see LLT’s evolution from its origins as a backwater amateur community theater to a dynamic ground zero for the performing arts, unrestrained by geographic and cultural boundaries.
It’s a process already in motion, observes Luciano. “As we have committed to offering more varied programming and staging more challenging shows, we have seen audiences grow over the last two years. Membership is growing and we have about 550 season tickets holders this season.”
As an essentially all-volunteer organization, LLT is known as a newcomer-friendly place where people with little or no previous theater background can enjoy rewarding experiences both on stage and behind the scenes.
“I started out painting sets,” says Luciano, explaining that others have learned the ropes through LLT workshops on acting, directing and technical skills, or by simply signing up at cast and crew calls. “It is a great outlet for anyone who enjoys theater, especially retirees who didn’t have time to get actively involved before settling here.”
The board of directors is constantly seeking to maintain and improve the 112-seat facility. Last year, proceeds were earmarked for upgrading the sound system. This year, the lobby has been refurbished. In addition to regular upkeep, goals for the immediate future include completely re-rigging the stage area. Another aim is to establish a legacy or endowment program that will help sustain the theater in meeting future needs.
Luciano also has his sights set on developing a network initiative to create partnerships with theater groups in Canada and the United States that run with a similar demographic pool. He likewise talks of linking up with theater professionals and academics abroad who would be interested in sharing their expertise, and of recruiting student interns looking for a place to hone their skills.
He also dreams of an exchange program, thinking along the lines of a theatrical version of the area’s highly successful Northern Lights Music Festival.
One project that has already seen the light of day is turning LLT into a venue for London’s groundbreaking National Theatre Live telecasts. The first play in the 2015-16 playhouse series, “War Horse” by Michael Morpurgo, was screened at the theater on November 21 and 22.
Luciano says all these new ideas are “real game changers, giving local audiences access to high caliber productions and giving us fresh ideas on lighting and sets can look like with the application of modern technology.”
McIntosh, Mack and Boyer are keen on seeing LLT broaden its horizons in other ways. They suggest expanding activities to present one-man shows, poetry readings and other genres, or opening the stage to local authors with a desire to see their scripts brought to life. And they contemplate the concept of building cross-cultural bridges by programming a festival of works by Latin American playwrights, welcoming performances by theater companies from other parts of Mexico and Latin America, and developing outreach to local children and youth who have many opportunities to delve into plastic arts, dance and music, but get little exposure to theater.
The possibilities seem endless. With a strong leadership team and all its enthusiasm and divergent thinking, the lights will surely come up on a bright future for LLT, Mexico’s oldest English-language theater.