The West Side Civic Theatre Story

Every great thing starts with an idea, a vision, a dream. It is in these pearls from our souls that grow life-changing notions and the seeds of the future. Pretty deep, I know. But, on one warm, summer evening, Joy and I were walking around the square. We had done it before, and it was such a nice walk from our home to the square, several times around, and then back, especially after a good meal.

But on this night, something was different. The air was just right, or the sun was setting in such a way as to throw theatrical effects against the bricks surrounding the gazebo. But, as I walked and looked, I envisioned a musical going full-steam in the gazebo, while a throng of people gathered in lawn chairs, and upon blankets to enjoy this theatre under the stars.

Not long after, I was having lunch with Ginger Newberry, who was then Parks and Recreation coordinator for the town, and discussing the possibilities. She was interested from the start, and asked me if I would be willing to submit a budget, and we could take it from there. Of course, that budget was small, and I called upon friends and family to help pull off that first show, knowing that if we could prove ourselves, we could have the start of something. That first production was Oklahoma!, and we couldn't have picked a better show to start with. A show dedicated to the pioneer spirit of our country, a show about staring out in life, a show about beating the odds and the elements to build something.

We only did two performances of Oklahoma!, and we put it together in under 4 weeks. But we had some seasoned veterans in the cast, as well as some determined newcomers, and the turnout was amazing. Almost 3,000 people saw those two shows, and the foundation was laid for the future.

Our second and third shows, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and The Music Man were sponsored by the Lewisville Civic Club, when the Town of Lewisville was unable to do so. That exceptional group of very special people kept the dream alive, and we will never forget them for it. That is the reason we added Civic to what was The West Side Theatre. It seemed only fitting and a fine tribute to a great group. Plus, it added sort of an uptown sound, don't you think? Record crowds came out for these two fabulous productions and they left us all with a feeling of satisfaction and wonder, fulfillment and great expectations!

The Town of Lewisville picked back up with the highly successful and beautiful Brigadoon, and has been with us ever since, through fabulous productions of Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Into the Woods, The King and I, Camelot, The Battle of Shallowford, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Annie, Carousel, Scrooge, South Pacific, Oliver!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and West Side Story. Then came the amazing season of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz; the two shows that raised the professional bar and set a new standard for our theatre by adding a second successful weekend and inviting our first Actor's Equity Guest Artist, Jim Ballard to perform with us. We followed the huge successes of those two shows with last year's incredible season of Seussical and Jesus Christ Superstar. Now, we pay homage to them all with our TENTH SEASON featuring Oklahoma, the show that started it all and our next exciting production, Hello Dolly! 

Now, nine years after Joy and I took that historic stroll, we are beginning to plan for our twenty-sixth production in the middle of our 10th year of bringing Broadway-quality productions to the Town of Lewisville. Of course now when we stroll, we are chasing our new little drama king, Braedon while our princess, Bronwyn walks beside us, wondering why there's no set in the square. It really bothers both of them when there's not a show there! It bothers us too!

We have realized our dream of becoming a non-profit organization, and now we can venture forth with the second phase of our development. This summer, we are again producing our summer theatre camp, featuring The Getting to Know You Children's Production of The King and I, following last summer's highly successful production of what else, Oklahoma! starring the little guys. Since it was our first show, it was only fitting that it be their first show, too. We have ongoing dramatic classes for young and older alike and will soon start producing year-round productions, which feature non-musical dramatic presentations as well.

In short, The West Side Civic Theatre is the perfect community theatre. Abe would have been proud. It is a theatre of the people, by the people and for the people. Performances are free of charge thanks to the generosity and foresight of the Town of Lewisville, who use Parks and Recreation funds to provide this wonderful service to the citizens of their town. What a great gift! And, what a great idea! However, town funding will not support us in our year round endeavors or provide us with a home, storage facilities, equipment and pay for our staff. We have been volunteering most of our services from the very beginning, and it's time to grow to our full potential. Through generous grants from the Winston-Salem Foundation, we were able to print brochures and materials to support our ongoing fund drive and hire the services of a top-rate Fundraising consultant! This will allow citizens and corporate sponsors to become an integral part of our family and help keep the dream alive! Please, if you haven't already, consider becoming a family member.

If you haven't seen one of our productions, come on out, bring a lawn chair, and bring it early. During The Sound of Music the chairs started arriving at 5 AM, and they have been arriving that way ever since.

Thanks to everyone who's been involved! You are the best! And thanks to our wonderful supporters. We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have.