When the music begins as the curtains part and the lights illuminate the stage, there is no feeling like taking that first step out in front of a packed house. An audience filled with family, friends and community members all there to support the performers, no matter how big or small their role.
That exhilarating feeling is something the members of the Pickerington Community Theatre (PCT) know well from the shows they have put on for the past 18 years. With each year and venue the group has called home, PCT has expanded its offerings for its viewers and performers.
After a few years at its newest home, the Wigwam Event Center, the PCT is looking forward to another season.
Better with time
The PCT’s vibrant history is one full of community support from the very beginning. Its first show, Cheaper by the Dozen, opened at The Violet Grange Hall on Lockville Road in October 2006 with a cast of 20 people.
Over the years the group has grown tremendously. And, in some cases, audience members turn into cast members, something PCT resident set designer and long-standing member Andrew Weibel has seen firsthand.
PCT
One of the group's first shows - Fools
The world of theater has been a big part of Weibel’s life since high school. He studied it in college and even met his wife through it. As he celebrates his 15th year with the PCT, Weibel’s passion for theater remains just as strong.
“As we move to larger venues, I think we’ve continued to bring improvements to our shows season to season,” he says. “You know, there’s always (this feeling when) you come in and you leave thinking, ‘Wow, I didn’t know community theater could do that.”
With the Wigwam as their new home, Weibel says the group enjoys using the modern tech it offers, including the lighting, sound and projection equipment.
Full circle package
For Weibel, and many in the PCT, theater is a family affair. Weibel enjoys putting on shows with his wife and two daughters, and they aren’t the only ones.
Dianne Gallaugher
The age of the members of the PCT range from tweens and teens up to 60 and 70 years old. Over the summer, the group tends to see an increase in younger participants as students have more free time.
“You get that intergenerational interaction that doesn’t exist many places in regular life,” Weibel says. “I see a lot of young actors really blossom because they’re getting to work with some veterans (in the field). Even if they’re not saying things, (they) are just exhibiting both a level of craftsmanship, but also just good habits of how they approach the craft and work with others.”
The summer is also an opportunity for kids, from first grade all the way through senior year of high school, to get a taste of theater through the Missoula Children’s Theater Summer Camp that the group offers.
Bigger and better
With a more diverse cast, the group has also been able to do a larger range of shows, from family-friendly comedies such as The Little Mermaid to more serious and classic shows such as Much Ado About Nothing.
The expansion of the group’s repertoire has also garnered attention.
“We have actors coming from Lancaster, we have actors coming from Dublin,” Weibel says. “And they are seeing our theater as something worth their time and their drive to be involved with because they know we will be putting up a product that they are proud to be a part of.”
Dianne Gallaugher
The group hopes to keep the momentum and excitement going by taking more risks when it comes to the shows.
Weibel says they hope to grow the theater vocabulary of the cast and audience by doing new and different shows such as Shakespeare and movie adaptations, such as the 1960s sci-fi comedy Santa Claus Conquers the Martians the group is performing this winter.
No matter what shows, costumes or set pieces the group uses or which people take the stage, Weibel and the rest of the crew will always relish the end result.
“Everyone’s working towards a shared goal,” Weibel says. “Even the people who aren’t necessarily ever seen or thought of by the audience understand that, ultimately, that applause at the end of the show is for everyone who made that theater experience.”
Season Ahead
The Pickerington Community Theatre has a few more shows to close out its 2024 season and several more to kick off 2025.
- Much Ado About Nothing – Fall 2024
- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians – Winter 2024
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – Spring 2025
- Shrek The Musical – Summer 2025
- Clue – Fall 2025
- White Christmas The Musical – Winter 2025
School Spotlight
Pickerington theater also offers great theater opportunities through the schools. The Pickerington Local School District has an extensive and well-supported theater program that has sent students to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, also known as the Jimmy Awards®.
Theatre Director Allen DeCarlo, who has been with the district for 14 years, says he has recently noticed that students have started moving into the district for the theater opportunities.
With award-winning programs at both the high and middle school levels, DeCarlo enjoys introducing students to theater and the unique lessons it can teach.
“There’s a home in the theater for all walks of life,” DeCarlo says. “And I always approach the classroom with the sense of, ‘I am not only teaching you the world of theater, they are life skills.’ These are skills that are going to be happening all around them, whether they take it and apply it to the interview or their actual job.”
There are plenty of shows to catch this school year – whether you like comedies, plays or musicals, you can find it all.
Here are some of the shows you will see this school year:
- Almost Maine – Fall
- The Christmas Carols – Winter
- (Musical yet to be announced) – Spring
- Legally Blonde – Spring
Rachel Karas is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenemediagroup.com.
