The Brownwood Lyric Theater in historic downtown Brownwood is certainly a treasure to the city; yet it seems the general public is unaware of the many performances and events that are available to enjoy. Despite social media presence on Facebook, investment in advertising, and radio broadcasts, I find myself explaining what the Lyric Theater is and when events are happening over and over again. But with the Lyric’s prime location in downtown Brownwood, just across from Howard Payne University, and

On three occasions, I sold tickets for the Elephant Man production, and was slightly underwhelmed by the lack of audience members. The production managers did not seem worried. In fact, when we had more Sunday walk-ups than the usual amount, spirits were high. And even though the Lyric was satisfied to fit every audience member with half of the orchestra seating, I dreamt of a full house every night. Why not? The Lyric put on great shows, so why wasn’t every night a full house?

Though I cannot imagine why the lack of community participation is the way it is, a boost of public awareness is easily achieved with an Odyssey article. But a lot of time and effort is invested with the Lyric. Those who have ever been in a play of any kind can understand that much, but imagine a full production or musical or children’s theatre show… when members of our (and even surrounding) communities put so many hours into a show, it is definitely worth supporting the event.

Showing support for the Lyric is as easy as talking about it. Spread the word around about upcoming shows, make plans to see them with friends, and take pictures after the show and share them through social media. The Lyric Theater thrives from community involvement and participation; so let’s help the Lyric be the best it can be.

The Lyric website, http://www.brownwoodlyrictheatre.com/tickets.html, provides all upcoming productions, volunteer opportunities, and ticket purchasing options.