By Angela Rossi | Observer Reporter
The “Theater at the Mount” Program at MWCC not only provides a platform for local people with all sorts of talents, but it also brings the community together to celebrate the art of theater. In many ways, the community theater has brought opportunity and entertainment to anyone who takes part in it, whether it be an actor or a person who just wants to see a show without paying for an expensive trip into the city.
“It truly is a gift to the community,” said theater director Gail Steele. She explained that, when putting on productions, they choose from a pool of loyal directors, sound technicians, choreographers, and so on, based on their specialties.
Because these people are mainly volunteers, Steele believes that they all carry a passion for the arts and by offering them this opportunity, the program provides a venue for members of the community to do what they love. Not only is this for crew members, but also for actors.
One instance of this is 20 year old actor, Doug Dame. At the age of 8, Dame began performing here at MWCC. For him, the people he has worked with through the years have become very significant in his life. “In a lot of ways it’s become an inseparable part of the person I turned [into] because it was my whole life for so long… you get the sense that everyone is out to help everyone else,” Dame said in a phone interview.
Over the years, Dame has also observed the ways that the theater program has influenced the community. He said, “…there are so many kinds of people that it provides a creative outlet for.”
After being in his first play at a young age, he took part in at least one show a year and then continued on to become a Junior Councilor at the summer theater camp. He then recently took on the position of drama teacher this past summer for the first time.
Children’s show director, Emily Smith, also has a similar view of the program. Smith has now been working with the program for 20 years and claims that she is absolutely thrilled with her involvement. Smith began acting at MWCC at a very young age as well and is still very much involved to this day.
Smith now works as a high school theater teacher but is also in charge of directing the children’s shows at the mount. She loves that by having the opportunity to work with these kids she is able to watch them grow up in the theater as she did as a child. Because of this, Smith compares this community to a family.
“This is work and this is what I like to do,” said Smith. She works anywhere within 200 kids at a time; Smith claims that being able to have a positive influence on this many kids at once is incredible. She is now providing that platform for these young, ambitious children as she was provided at that age.
According to Smith, this theater program is one of the only community theater programs in Central Massachusetts. She too agrees with the benefits given to all of the people in the area.
According to Steele, this program is really providing a service for Central Massachusetts. With numerous ambitious futures, the program will still have this effect for many years to come.
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