History of Theatre in Huntington #6 - ARTS

 

   Here's the story of a theatre organization that got its start over 20 years ago, and began as a unique idea in Huntington - theatre groups working together!

   Arts Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS) got its start with the closing of Huntington High School in the Spring of 1996. The city leaders debated what to do with the structure, and finally decided to turn it over to the Housing Development Corporation to convert most of the building into Senior Housing. Parts of the building were also turned over to the Huntington YMCA, including the gymnasium.

    But someone else had a vision for a third purpose for the building. Local theatre veteran Clint McElroy had worked with every local theatre group, and realized the one thing the groups all needed:  a home.

   He worked with city officials to set aside part of the building - specifically the theatre, the old library and a few other classrooms - to be used jointly by local theatre groups.

   Those groups would include the Musical Arts Guild, Huntington Outdoor Theatre (HOT), the Musical Arts Guild - Children's Theatre (MAG-CT, now First Stage Theatre Company), and the Appalachian Youth Orchestra. 

   Sadly (and for assorted reasons) the idea didn’t work out and within a few years the original members of the organization all eventually left the ARTS organization.

   But that wasn't the end. The group's board continued on its own, managing the use of the auditorium and renting it out to other organizations. For several years the organization presented concert fundraisers.

   About 15 years ago the group started presenting stage shows as a way to raise money to refurbish the auditorium.

   The output was solid, including shows like Amahl and the Night Visitor, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly, Will Rogers Follies and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (among many others). 

   But in 2012, ARTS took a surprising new direction. It built a new structure, basing it around a team of four directors. 

   They auditioned and cast a resident acting company, and used that group to present a season of six shows in 2013, using open auditions to round out each cast. 

   It was a tremendous success, and they produced a number of terrific shows, from big musicals like Cabaret, The Pirates of Penzance, The Full Monty and The Boy Friend, to non-musicals like Twelve Angry Men, Fuddy Mears and Rabbit Hole, and annual Shakespeare productions including Much Ado About Nothing and Julius Caesar.  

   But problems began to make staging shows difficult. In 2016, water leaking into the building and electrical problems made the stage unusable. 

   ARTS moved its productions into the old library at the school, but disagreements with the building management continued to escalate, and finally the group dissolved in 2017.

   It was a sad end for what had started as a terrific concept of providing - for the first time - a home for all the wandering theatre troupes.

   But while ARTS may be gone, some of the players involved weren't finished yet. 

   But next, we'll talk about a group of Free Spirits!