Theater group to put on first play
Published 12:18 pm Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Staff reports
TIFTON — Theater is coming back to Tifton.
In May, a new theater group called the Mainstreet Players was founded by Pamela L. Tillman. The nonprofit group is a division of Tiftarea Community Theatre, or TACT. Still active in the community, TACT is helping the new group financially and is also providing production help.
The group’s first play will be “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which will be shown at 7 p.m. August 5, 6 and 7 at the Tift Theatre. General admission is $5.
“We’re very excited about the play, and we encourage everyone to come out and see it,” said Brenda Shaw, manager of Tift Theatre. “We want the community to use the theater, and having a group like the Mainstreet Players will be great for the community and for the theater. I think Tifton really needs something like this. We had a excellent response to our auditions, and the performers are very excited.”
“We wanted to enrich the community through cultural and charitable aspects,” said Tillman, who is also the producer of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” “We don’t want to be just a theater group. Tifton is a city of the arts, and we want to uphold that tradition — to bring theater back and give it a fresh face.”
More than 50 people auditioned for the play, and the cast has 22 members. The actors vary in age from 7 to 45. In some cases, both a parent and child are in the play together. The group has been rehearsing since late May. They plan to be active throughout the year and hope to schedule various events for the community.
Kati Wheeler, director of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” said she feels drama is very important, especially for kids.
“I really think drama should be incorporated in schools more,” Wheeler said. “A lot of kids don’t know anything about theater, and they don’t learn about it until they are in high school. I became interested in drama in junior high and became involved in the drama club in high school.
“I like it so much that I decided to make theater my career. I am studying theater education at Columbus State University, and I plan to teach high school students. My friend Elizabeth Shepley and I chose ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ because we thought it would be a lot of fun. Most people have either read the book or seen the movie, and our script is similar to both.”
“Obviously, the community is interested in theater because so many people came out for the auditions,” said Rose Robertson, the play’s stage manager. “The goal of the Mainstreet Players is to become involved in the community and help the downtown businesses. We want Tifton to get involved.
“I really hope this first show gets us started and leads to more opportunities — plays, workshops, dinner theater. People need to experience theater in a real theater environment so they can enjoy the ambiance. And we have that right here downtown. It would be a shame not to use this theater for dramatic productions. ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is a great play with a great cast. I think everyone will really enjoy it.”
