Examiner's Note: This article was originally published prior to the production in Grapevine. It has been updated to include post-production information and impressions.
When Judy Norton (The Waltons) and Tony Dow (Leave It to Beaver) took the stage at the Palace Theater in Grapevine Sunday evening, the audience experienced a rare treat on Main Street as the duo brought A.R. Gurney's Pulitzer Prize nominated Love Letters, an at-once light-hearted and poignant recounting of the distant half-century-long relationship shared between "Melissa Gardner" (Norton) and "Andrew Makepeace Ladd" (Dow).
What the audience did not see were the young professionals who helped make the play come to life with all the precision and artistry associated with theater in much larger venues, thanks to the efforts of Texas Family Musicals, Inc.
Texas Family Musicals bring professional theater and well-known talent to smaller venues, like The Granbury Opera (where the play was produced for performances on October 10) and The Palace (October 11). Originating in Galveston, Texas Family Musicals, Inc. is a non-profit organization, which mission is to launch the careers of young professionals in every aspect of theatrical production.
Executive Producer, Mike Skiles.
Executive Producer, Mike Skiles, smiles as he speaks of the work of Texas Family Musicals and its mission. "We work these young people hard," he said, "just as if it were Broadway, because that is what we are preparing them for."
The statistics are impressive. Since 2000, when they began the Young Professionals Development program, approximately 700 aspiring performers, directors and producers have come through the one-year program and have gone on to further their careers. Twenty-seven have made it to Broadway and more than 150 are in national tour troupes; in fact, 85% of all the participants are still in the profession.
Lisa Goldstein, currently appearing as "Millicent" in The CW's drama series, One Tree Hill, and Dallas' own Deborah Yates, who was nominated for a Tony award for her work as "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" in contact (sic) on Broadway, are two prominent success stories from the program.
"Our policy is that these young professionals get one year with us and then move into their careers. The only exceptions are when they return to us in elevated positions," added Skiles. "We want them to get into the business."
Bringing in talent of the caliber of Norton and Dow serves multiple purposes. The most obvious is increased sales at the box office, but the underlying benefits to the city of Granbury and the students make it a win-win-win. There are more people in the square on production days, and the young professionals are able to enhance their resumes.
Directors, including Ms. Norton, come to Granbury to work with the young professionals and with "Cecil B. deSkiles," as they lovingly refer to the Executive Producer. "We bring in directors with Broadway experience or with strong regional experience to make the program 'real-world' for them. They need to learn from the best to work with the best," he added.
In 2006, when Texas Family Musicals took over the productions at The Granbury Opera House, it had closed operations. The city purchased the property and enlisted Texas Family Musicals, which, now in its fourth season in Granbury, has managed to run 'in the black,' according to Skiles.
Technical Director, Catherine Brunet
One of the more unique aspects of the program is the existence of dormitories for the young professionals. "We recruit these young professionals to come here," said Skiles, "because we want the brightest and best to get a really good opportunity at experiencing the craft." The Technical Director of Love Letters, Catherine Brunet, is one such example, having been brought to Granbury from Virginia. When her term is over, she will return to the east coast to continue her career with a well-earned and impressive resume.
As the final show ended on Saturday night, the team in Granbury began striking the set (taking it down) in preparation for setting it in place in Grapevine in time for Sunday's performance - no small task. The team are young and dedicated to their craft, and the Texas Family Musicals organization are no less dedicated to them or to their audience.
"We made some significant changes to the production values when we came into Granbury, insisting that the productions be family-oriented. We want the experience to be good for everyone, and will remove overly foul language from a script in the interest of enhancing the family experience," said Skiles.
It must be working, because the word is out, and the theater is a popular destination for its professional productions; but, it also recognizes the need for community involvement and stages four community productions each year, the last one being The Odd Couple with an all-female cast.
"It's a business which pays off in family entertainment and the launching of careers for young, dedicated and talented people," Skiles said as he scurried off to take care of the last minute details before the curtain went up on the Saturday matinee - a great dividend, no matter how you slice it.
When the final bows had been taken, Ms. Norton and Mr. Dow took questions from the audience. A number of the questions related to their television series and the actors, but during the session the actors revealed more of themselves than had been mentioned in the program.
The duo had never worked on stage together, yet they played to one another very well, both during the performance and afterward. It was as if they'd known each other for decades and not a few days.
Mr. Dow is an accomplished sculptor and recently had a work displayed at the Louvre in Paris - one of only twelve American sculptors so honored. He also revealed to the audience that Love Letters was his first return to the stage in an acting role in twenty-five years. His writing, producing and directing have been his profession since leaving the stage. His verisimilitude and gentle spirit are no less than would have been expected were one to have met Wally on the street, and his lovely wife Lauren, who accompanied him for the production, is a very gifted artist in her own right. The couple are genuinely happy and fulfilled as they bring their artistry to the public. For more information and to view Mr. Dow's sculptures online, click here.
Ms. Norton spoke of life after having children and was so spontaneous and gregarious as to bely the characterizations of Mary Ellen in The Waltons. She has retained the natural beauty of her youth and is cordial with everyone. Her writing, directing and acting keep her quite busy, and the musical that she is co-writing takes much of her time. Her smile is genuine and her manner completely sophisticated without a hint of arrogance. For more information on Ms. Norton's current projects and schedule click here.
Those who witnessed the performances, either in Granbury or in Grapevine, are very fortunate, indeed.
Granbury Opera House's next production "Honky Tonk Highway," which runs from November 16 through November 1. For information or to order tickets, click here.
Comments