"If you build it, they will come" is one of the most famous lines in movie history. If you have seen the movie Field of Dreams, you might remember Kevin Costner hearing voices and he builds a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield in Iowa. Many people thought he was crazy. Many people questioned his decision. He even doubted himself. I have had those moments by starting a theater just three blocks from my house.
I put thousands of miles on my car heading to theaters in Brownstown, Seymour, North Vernon, Columbus, and Shelbyville. I had made it my goal to be a part of productions that would help me to grow as an actor. Never in a thousand years would I ever think a theater in Hope would ever work.
In the fall of 2012, I was approached by the Hope Visitors Center to see if we could do dinner theater at Strawberry Fields and its tea room. I had the idea to do the reader's theater play Love Letters. We would perform it around Valentine's Day. It is a fairly simple play to put on. You really don't need much other than two desks. We were in an antique store, as well, so the set was taken care of. I asked my friend Caitlin Smith to read the role of Melissa, and I would read the role of Andy.
With very little promotion, no posters, and a few mentions on Facebook, we had 60 people show up. 60 may not seem like a large audience, but for a first show and a smaller venue, it was quite astounding.
As I continued seeking roles, a year later, my former 5th grade teacher and colleague, David Webster, approached me about doing a play he adapted from a book written my Rena Dillman, a lady from Hope. I thought it would be interesting to do an original play. The play was Letters of Forgiveness. I assembled a cast and began to figure out how to make five scenes on a small stage. We had no lights and no microphones. We used table lamps and projected our voices.
With more promotion and three shows, we ended up having 300 people see the show that weekend of Valentine's Day. This was a huge validation that people will come to Hope to see a play.
This struck an idea with me and Naomi Fleetwood-Pyle, an actress I had worked with on Letters of Forgiveness and other plays. We began to plan and look at shows to do. Right off the bat, we picked Steel Magnolias. It would take us six months before we got the ball running on it. We were able to assemble a terrific cast and in less than six weeks, we were able to turn that small stage into a beauty shop.
To get into Steel Magnolias was kind of like getting a golden ticket from Willy Wonka. We had only planned on four shows. We added a fifth, and it filled up. We added a sixth, and it filled up. We were at sold out capacity. I am sure that we could have run the show more weekends.
We ended up with over 600 people coming to see our production in Hope. It was a phenomenon that opened more doors. We had people come from Hope and Columbus, but the interesting number was the people from outside the county and state. People traveled from Tennessee, West Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, and many locales to see our production.
Following the success of Steel Magnolias, we decided to do a comedy with a Valentine's kind of feel. 'Til Beth Do Us Part was our next production. A few of us had done this production for Jackson County Community Theater a few years before. It wasn't a known title, so we were unsure of audience reaction. This production brought in 500 people. Who would have guessed a lesser known play would bring in that many people?
We were making plans to do more productions when the owner of Strawberry Fields decided to sell her business. This meant we would be without a stage. Things were up in the air until Willow Leaves of Hope began in August of 2015.
Our first production was another adaptation of a Rena Dillman book by David Webster. The Cowboy and the Jean Skirt became the first show at Willow Leaves. It was a rebuilding of sorts so we were concerned about an audience. 300 people showed for our three shows. We knew we still had the momentum.
We ventured out of Hope and literally into the middle of a cornfield when we were asked to do a play at Simmon's Winery. We decided on a comedy. Little did we know that it would become bigger than Steel Magnolias. 700 people saw Dearly Departed, a redneck comedy about a family dealing with the patriarch's death.
In the year since Willow Leaves opened, we have been able to do six more productions with success. "If you build it, they will come" is a movie quote that absolutely fits our theater group. We decided on a name, Actors' Studio of Hope, and chose shows for the next year. It is very validating to know that we build something and people came. They came to be entertained and enjoy a good meal.
I was told a few years ago that no one would come to Hope to see a play. I believed them for a few years. Then people drove to Hope. They liked what they saw. If you believe in something, something you may have to start from scratch, do it. "If you build it, they will come."
