The newest theatre group in town is, basically, a new wing of an organization that got its start about seven years ago. Arts Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS) began as a gathering of theatre groups - and one orchestra - who would work together to refurbish part of the old Huntington High School and turn it into a center for local arts groups.
For reasons that will take some explaining (it’ll be the subject of a future blog entry), the idea didn’t work out and the original members of the organization - the Musical Arts Guild, the Musical Arts Guild - Children’s Theatre, Huntington Outdoor Theatre and the Tri-State Youth Orchestra - all eventually left the ARTS organization.
The group continued on its own, managing the use of the Huntington High School auditorium and renting it out to other organizations. Approximately once a year since the organization began, the group has presented fundraisers in concert form, usually featuring Broadway veterans Mark and Beth McVey.
More recently, under the leadership of Beth McVey, the group started presenting its own stage shows. The idea, of course, was to raise money to refurbish the auditorium.
Their output has been limited so far - they presented the Christmas show “Amahl and the Night Visitor” twice (in 2004 and 2005) and staged the recent “Fiddler on the Roof.” I think that’s it so far - but given the success of “Fiddler,” I suspect we’ll be seeing more from that group in the near future.
Next: Theatre groups that faded away.
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