Creating a Rich Community: The Value of Local Theatre

Recently I decided to get back into the director's chair and help with a production in my hometown. For many, theatre is unfamiliar. Let me dissect it's irreplaceable role in our communities.

As the popular quote from an anonymous author reminds us, “Life is better when we’re laughing.” Whether going to the cinema with friends, cheering on a loved one at a softball game, or watching countless episodes on the comfort of one’s own couch, entertainment keeps its rightful place in our lives and our society because it offers escapism. Theatre holds its power in the duality of being able to offer a quick, easy laugh, or diving into the depths of questioning humanity and its existence. It can give us release and humor, or it can offer us insight into the deepest parts of ourselves. Community theatre is a rich, precious gem that combines the talents and hard work of local individuals who dedicate their after-work hours to producing beautiful works of art and memorable experiences for others. Those involved receive the gift of new, close friendships, polished communication skills, and the feeling of giving the audience a truly remarkable gift. Those who attend local theatre receive much more than temporary escapism from the daily grind; they receive a peak into a world of limitless possibility that not only entertains in the moment, but creates long lasting rejuvenation and inspiration for the soul.

Local theatre also illuminates its small community as a place where creativity is appreciated. A community where the arts are alive and thriving is valuable to its economy. Ticket sales attract tourists from surrounding towns to visit all that prosperous small town has to offer, inviting them to make time to visit the family-favorite restaurants or to come back and visit again.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of community theatre is that it extends beyond itself. It offers our children opportunities to gain confidence in front of others, it offers our parents the memories of fonder decades, and it can offer each of us the chance to explore both the world around us as well as that which is within us.

Learn more about Van Wert's dinner theatre: Offstage Productions here: https://www.offstagetheatre.com/joomla-migrated/index.php/about-us/our-history