Coweta arts tidbits

The Successor To Newnan-Coweta Arts Council News Releases

Composed By: Forrest W. Schultz 770-583-3258 schultz_forrest@yahoo.com

November 13, 2007

Legacy Theatre Celebrates First Anniversay

Mark and Bethany Smith have beeen very busy people since they moved to Newnan and established the Legacy Theatre in Tyrone, which has been a significant feature of the renaissance of the Southside arts scene. The current issue of the Southside Arts Agenda, which is an online news service which has done a commendable job of documenting this renaissance, has provided the following information concerning this Anniversay:

A few days ago, the cast of It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play was discussing the major themes that they would want to relay to the audience each night from the stage. Not surprisingly, the themes they kept coming back to were the importance of friendship, family, and self-sacrifice. As Mark Smith, Executive Director, left the theatre that night, he began to think back on the past year and the short history of The Legacy Theatre. He realized that these fundamental things are precisely what have seen the Legacy through their first season.

There are too many exciting and incredible memories to put into one news article, but here are a few that Bethany and Mark Smith feel encapsulate The Legacy Theatre's premiere season. MORE

Click MORE above for a photo gallery of highlights from The Legacy Theatre's first year!

; Stephen Ball from Doris Russell School of Performing Arts never took "no" for an answer and worked tirelessly through sickness as he helped orchestrate all the contractors, town council members, banks, and sponsors who would make the theatre a reality.

The City of Tyrone welcomed Bethany and Mark with open arms and believed in the importance of live theatre. Bert Clark, Chip Smith and the architect, Jim Finney, said "A live, professional theatre in Tyrone? Sure, why not! Let's make it a 'little Fox'. Ted Davis and dozens of workers who sweated through a hot, dry summer and chattered through a surprisingly cold October and November to open the theatre on time. Their friend, Dustin Lewis, who traveled the world as a performer, decided to relocate to Tyrone, Georgia and gave his heart and soul to the theatre.

Bethany and Mark's family and friends, who ate Thanksgiving Dinner 2006 with them in the lobby of the theatre, and who worked all the way through opening night to make sure the theatre was clean, beautiful, and ready for Legacy's patrons. Dozens of volunteers, many of them dear friends, who took a whole weekend to help construct a set in an unfinished theatre. Founding Members filled every seat on opening night on November 24th and each and every audience member who has laughed, cried, and even danced on stage since then.

The amazing cast of A Christmas Survival Guide, truly special friends or the Smith's, who put up a show without knowing whether they would have a space in which to even perform it. There were dozens of volunteer ushers in black and white who swept the lobby, vacuum the theatre, and lovingly scrub the bathrooms. They saw the first sold out audience while Dustin, Mike, Cleve and David—The Legacy "Plaids"—gave one of the best ensemble performances seen at a theatre on the South side of Atlanta.

Hundreds of kids participated in Broadway Workshop performing scenes all in green from The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked for full houses.

Over 500 kids walked through the doors to audition for Disney's High School Musical and Todd Key on stilts, entertained them.
Bethany was able to perform one of her dream roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance for a live audience. Twenty-one sold out shows for Disney's High School Musical and as a cast of 65, ages 7 and up, danced, sang and light up the stage for over 4,000 audience members.

Bus after bus drove up to the front doors for the hilarious Miss Nelson Is Missing!

ReGen church opened the doors for their first Sunday morning worship.

As The Legacy Theatre approaches its one-year anniversary, Bethany and Mark are excited and look forward to what is in store for The Legacy and for the community. They are committed to continue to bringing south Atlanta great entertainment as well as educate children and influence a new generation of theatre-goers. The Legacy Family would like to thank everyone for sticking by them and realizing that a
community truly needs the arts.

Click on the Thumbnail to enlarge photo.

A Christms Survival Guide.

BROADWAY WORKSHOP 2008

• 8 week session starts Wed., January

or Thur., January 24th, 2008

• Exciting acting workshops that focus on training well-rounded performers

• Broadway Baby: Ages 5-7 meets Wed. or Thur. from 4-5:15 pm

• Dream Broadway: Ages 8-9 meets Wed. or Thur. from 4-5:15 pm

• Team Broadway: Ages 10-12 meets Wed. or Thur. from 5:15-6:30 pm

• Broadway Bound: Teens meet Wed. or Thur. from 5:15-6:30 pm

• All members will receive discounts to The Legacy Theatre's professional season!

• All members will receive exclusive invitations to audition for and perform
in special performances at The Legacy Theatre

• Limited space available

• Winter Session is $160 for 8 week session

• A $50 deposit is required to reserve your membership

All classes held at The Legacy Theatre
Call 404/895-1473 or visit www.thelegacytheatre.org
Wednesdays (Thursdays also offered)
Checks made payable to The Legacy Theatre

GREATER TUNA

Perfect timing, practically impossible costume changes and a script that portrays just about every eccentric Southerner you've ever met made this a night of live theater better than anything on the TV.

This was acting at its best! Mark and Dave created the residents of Tuna, Texas, as individuals with
personalities, manner of speech, tone of voice, accent and temperament that is unique to each. Not easy to do by any means!

We'd love to see Mark and Dave team up again in "The Odd Couple!"

There were two more stars in this show - never seen on stage until the final curtain. Zack Speir and Levi Throckmorton. They were the 'dressers' who kept the costume changes straight. I don't know how they managed it, but they did an outstanding job considering the number of changes and the speed in which most had to be made.

The production was nothing less than we have come to expect from the "Best Place to See a Play." Artistic set design by David Utley; flawless sound from Cashion Bennett and Dustin Lewis; really right-on costumes by Jenny Robinson; and lighting design by Chris Shellnut.

For more information on The Legacy Theatre and season ticket information, visit the Legacy web site through this link or call 404-895-1473.