CABOT — While “all the world’s a stage” may be a common mentality for actors, sometimes it’s nice to actually be in a designated performance space. A new theater group in Cabot intends to offer opportunities for people in the community to be a part of the dramatic arts.
Brian Wolters, Amie White and David Lutz make up the board of directors for the new Cabot Area Theatre. They have applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and plan for the theater to start up later this year.
“We set a lofty goal of being up and running this fall,” said Wolters, who serves as the group’s executive director. “We’re still homeless currently, but we’re aiming for the fall.”
Members of the Cabot Area Theatre Board of Directors said their goal is not to compete with other area theaters, but they are excited to provide a different outlet for the community and hope to work in partnership with other theaters to share resources.
“We just want to be another outlet for Cabot,” Wolters said. “We’re very kid-focused, so we want to get them involved in the theater and do workshops for them. We want to do popular shows but also do unheard-of shows that are quite good to expand the theater offerings of Cabot. … Our vision is to be very — not busy — but very active.”
Wolters got involved in theater with a high-school production of You Can’t Take It With You in 1986 and has been a part of the theatrical arts ever since. He went to school on a theater scholarship and, after earning a liberal arts degree, has remained active in community theater.
Wolters likes to perform challenging shows, he said.
“A Christmas Story, for example, may not seem like a challenging show, but it is a difficult show to stage,” he said. “When you pull it off and you get that standing ovation, it makes it all worth it.”
White echoed the joy of pulling off difficult performances, reminiscing about a murder-mystery dinner theater she was a part of in Branson, Missouri.
“That was crazy fun and one of the hardest things I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “We actually sat and ate dinner with the patrons. You were in character from the moment you walked in. Part of it was how long before people started figuring out you were an actor.”
White, who serves as assistant executive director for the Cabot Area Theatre, has been involved in professional and amateur theaters in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Arkansas. She has a Master of Arts in Theatre degree from Missouri State University in Springfield. She said that in relation to the Cabot Area Theatre, she is excited about bringing different shows than people may have seen to the community.
“I like the idea of doing lesser-known shows by well-known authors,” she said. “In my ideal world, at some point in the first couple years, I’d like to do Fools, by Neil Simon. Few people have heard of Fools, but everyone knows Neil Simon.”
Lutz is the secretary for the Cabot Area Theatre. He has been active in community theater for 30 years, and he and his wife, Marjorie, moved to Cabot in 2016.
The Cabot Area Theatre’s first season probably won’t begin until fall, but the board plans to possibly stage a two-person teaser in late spring. Once the theater gets up and running, the board intends to stage five shows per year.
The board of directors is looking for volunteers to fill spots and help get the theater going. There will be a volunteer meeting for those who want to participate, both backstage and in the spotlight, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Refuge Community Church, 12406 Arkansas 5, Suite G.
“The kinds of volunteers we’re looking for are anyone who has any interest in theater at all,” White said, “even if it’s just patrons who say they would like to help but don’t want to be involved in the production. We’re going to have a list of things: passing out flyers, helping us share Facebook posts. We’ll have a spot for anyone who loves theater.”
White said the theater has 25 volunteer positions to fill, and volunteers will get a preview of the plan for the first season of the Cabot Area Theatre at the meeting.
Communication about the theater — including volunteer-meeting announcements and audition dates — will happen over Facebook and, eventually, a website. The theater’s Facebook page is www.facebook.com/cabotareatheatre.