History of Theatre in Huntington #4 - H.O.T.

    For Part IV of our history of Huntington's theatre groups, let's look at one of the area's biggest success stories - a 20-year tradition in the park!

   The Huntington Outdoor Theatre (HOT) got its start back in 1993, and - of course - its origins can be traced to the Musical Arts Guild. At one MAG performance Helen Freeman first met Patti Shaver. The two kicked around the idea of starting an outdoor theatre in Huntington - and finally decided to give it a try. 

   HOT’s shows have all been presented at Huntington's Ritter Park Amphitheater. The shows usually run through each weekend in July. Each year the group has presented one or two shows per summer.

    The group was led by Helen, who served as the President and Artistic Director, and Patti, who was Vice-President and Managing Director for most of the group's run. Helen directed most of the shows, and Patti choreographed and organized things behind the scenes. Of course, they had lots of help, with a board of directors and an small army of managers tackling every job from designing posters to selling tickets and T-shirts. 

    HOT established itself as a summer tradition, and focused on presenting big musicals, including shows like Guys and Dolls, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Legally Blonde, The Music Man, Huntington: The Jewel of West Virginia, Oklahoma and Hello, Dolly.

    Each show also featured a pre-show, with a variety of performers singing or dancing, and a prepared performance by young actors.

    HOT was a true success story, bringing in huge crowds through the summer. Like any outdoor theatre, its only enemy was bad weather, but thankfully Huntington’s summers are usually mild.

    But sadly, 2013 was the 20th and final season for HOT. The group went out on a high note, with a powerhouse presentation of the musical Hairspray. 

   The summer tradition has continued, but HOT (and Helen and Patty) are enshrined in the Huntington Theatre Hall of Fame for two decades of amazing shows!

    Next: A theatre group that was created for a specific purpose: to raise money for the City of Huntington!

History of Theatre in Huntington #3 - First Stage Theatre Company

 We've looked at Marshall University and Musical Arts Guild, so now it's time to look at the longest-running community theatre group (that's still active) in Huntington. The group has gone by two names over the years, but the one it's carried the longest is First Stage: 

   The First Stage Theatre Company got its start 30 years ago. After auditions in 1990 for shows like Annie and Hansel and Gretel brought in - literally - hundreds of kids, it was obvious that there was a need for an outlet for these young thespians. 

   As with many local theatre groups, its beginning are tied to the Musical Arts Guild (MAG). George Snider and Jennifer Salcines approached the board of MAG and asked the group to sponsor a children’s theatre, and that’s how the Musical Arts Guild – Children’s Theatre (MAG-CT) began. The group’s first production was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Sept. 14 and 15, 1990, at Marshall University's Smith Hall.

   There are, basically, two kinds of children’s theatres. One features adults putting on shows for young people (with the cast perhaps including a few young actors), and the other stars young actors in the leads (with the cast sometimes including a few adults). MAG-CT would be the latter, and over the years it has allowed young people the chance to star in all kinds of shows, both musical and non-musical.

   Like any youth organization, the group has an ever-changing board, as young actors and their parents get involved, graduate and move on to other interests. 

    By 2001 it was obvious that MAG-CT was able to stand on its own two feet, so in an amicable split the two groups separated, and the children’s theatre adopted a new name (one suggested by then-board member Clint McElroy): the First Stage Theatre Company.  

    Like its parent group, First Stage was a theatre group without a home - so it roamed from theater to theater, depending on which one is available and which one fits the needs of the production. Every year the group produces either two or three shows (and in 2014 it did five shows), each one featuring young actors from across the Tri-State area. The purpose of the group is to provide young people with a positive experience either on the stage or working behind the scenes.  

    If anyone out there is avoiding their shows because it’s a “children’s theatre,” you’re missing out on some great young talent - many of whom you’ll see on stage in other local theatre productions. 

   Over the years the group has staged major shows like Newsies, Disney's Frozen, School of Rock, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Seussical the Musical, Honk, Les Miserables the School Edition, The Little Mermaid, Jr., Cats and Bye, Bye Birdie, in addition to smaller shows like Tom Sawyer, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Winnie the Pooh, A Christmas Story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Three Musketeers and Babes in Toyland.

    First Stage also offers up two $1,000 scholarship programs - one named in honor of Jim Stone, a local actor who was a great supporter of the arts and a mentor to many young actors, and another in honor of Leslie McElroy, an actress and board member for First Stage. 

    First Stage has established itself as a great place for young people to get their start in theatre. There they gain the skills and confidence that will serve them well throughout their life. 

   The group's final show in the last season was You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, celebrating the show that started it all 30 years ago - and because of COVID-19 concerns, it was staged as a drive-in show in a parking lot. 

    Next: Started just a few years after the Children’s Theatre, this group once ruled the month of July - which is why it was called HOT.

History of Theatre in Huntington #2 - Musical Arts Guild

    Continuing the history of theatre in Huntington, originally written in 2006 and updated. Yesterday we looked at Marshall University's history (it's the longest-running continuous theatre company in the area). 

   The Musical Arts Guild (MAG) is the second-longest-running (and still active) community theater group in the Huntington area. The group got its start in 1965 when several area churches combined their choirs to provide music for a preaching mission. 

   Those early missions were presented for a while at the Keith-Albee Theater, and when that ended, the group continued doing concerts and finally “regular” stage shows at the original Huntington High School auditorium. 

   Over the years since, the group has produced some terrific shows and given stage time to some local talent, including Broadway stars Michael Cerveris and Mark and Beth McVey. 

    The group produced a couple of shows every year, covering everything from Mame to Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, Sound of Music and many others.  Almost every other theatre group in Huntington has connections that go back to MAG.

    Unfortunately, it’s been a while since MAG tackled a stage show - their last stage show was The King and I, directed by the dearly departed Danny Ray and staged at the old Huntington East High School auditorium in 2003. The group is still active, but has gone back to its roots and presents shows in concert form only. 

   MAG annually holds a fundraising concert for the scholarships the group awards every year to Marshall students.

   They’ve carried the torch of community theatre for almost 50 years - and hopefully they’ll continue to bring the gift of music to the area for many more years to come.

    MAG was also directly responsible for the next-oldest local community theatre group - the one devoted to local children. Our next post will look at the group that provides many young performers their First Stage show.

History of Theatre in Huntington #1 - Marshall University

 

   Since the COVID-19 epidemic has left us without much in the way of theatre news in Huntington, it seems like a good time to revisit our History of Theatre in Huntington series, first written when this blog was young, and updated a few times over the years.

   In thinking about theatre here in Huntington, I often think about the history of it. As far as I know, no complete history of local theatre has ever been assembled - and there's not much to be found on the subject on the Internet. 

   Touring shows have probably been presented in Huntington since the city was founded, and certainly city schools have put on shows since the first teacher or parent volunteered to take on the challenge. (I've seen a very old photo of Elementary kids wearing overalls and presenting The Mikado - I'd pay good money to see that show!) 

   The Internet reveals that the newest section of Marshall’s Old Main - the part with the auditorium in it - was built in 1907, and no doubt the students started staging shows there not long after. Although I don't have any research to back it up (and I trust you'll correct me if I'm wrong, dear reader), it seems safe to assume that Marshall has the longest continuing tradition of putting on shows in Huntington.

   Assuming they've averaged four shows a year for most of those years, that's over 400 shows (at a very rough estimate) that the school has staged in the 113 years since.

   I have wonderful memories of seeing great shows in that auditorium. When I was a student in the late ‘70s, one of the outstanding performers was a guy named Joe Johns, who is well known today for his work as a news reporter on CNN (and NBC before that). Perhaps Marshall's most famous acting alumni are the Oscar-winning Brad Dourif and "Two and a Half Men" star Conchata Ferrell (and Billy Crystal attended for a semester). Actually, my hero Soupy Sales is probably the most famous, though I'm not sure if he (or Crystal) ever acted on the Marshall stage.

    There are many other alumni who are actively working now in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, as well as others traveling the country in touring shows.

   These days Marshall has a new theater, and it’s a beauty. The Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center is a state of the art facility, and the Department of Theatre uses it to maximum effect. The shows they’ve staged in recent years certainly live up to (and often surpass) the ones from the past. They stage at least four shows a year, many of them directed by professors Jack Cirillo or Leah Turley - and they do amazing work.

   They do a great mix of classic theatre, modern plays, musicals and almost every year they tackle a Shakespeare play, like the excellent Midsummer Night's Dream or The Taming of the Shrew - you owe it to yourself to see these.

   If you’re not checking these out on a regular basis, you’re missing some excellent work - not to mention the chance to see the potential stars of the future!

   By the way, Marshall Department of Theatre also has an excellent history archive on its website, with photos from many shows and lots more information - check it out right here.

   So I'm assuming Marshall has been putting on shows the longest - although certainly the local high schools are also in the running, although their output has been sporadic over the years. So who's next on the longest-running list? 

  That's the topic of the next post, which will cover The Musical Arts Guild.