Hearts were broken across the Tri-State when Huntington Outdoor Theatre (HOT) announced it was ending its long run as Huntington's summer theatre in 2013.
Rather than allow the Ritter Park Amphitheatre to go dark, the Huntington Park Board decided to form its own theatre group, and it approached three Huntington theatre veterans - Clint McElroy and Mary and Tommy Smirl - and asked them to form a new theatre company based on the model of HOT.
So they created Huntington Area Regional Theatre in the Park (HART), and starting in the summer of 2014 the group started presenting shows in the park focusing on family-friendly fare, beginning with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Nunsense.
The next season featured Mary Poppins and Collis P! - which is an original musical created by Clint McElroy based on the life of the railroad magnate and founder of the town, Collis P. Huntington!
They continued the next season with Wizard of Oz and Seussical the Musical.
Last season HART presented Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Nunsense 2: the Second Coming.
Each show has included a children's pre-show and an assortment of local performers, all presented under that stars at Ritter Park.
The group continues this summer with Shrek the Musical and Disney's The Lion King, Jr. - and it has announced plans to start a children's theatre branch, known as HART, Jr., which will present a show in the fall of 2018.
Next: Theatre long gone.
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