It’s been almost eight years since the Pickerington Community Theatre arrived on the scene, but until this year, the acting troupe has never put on a holiday show.
It’s probably fitting, then, that the company will kick off its new holiday tradition with a show about the upending of old holiday traditions: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The play follows a couple forced to coordinate their church’s Christmas pageant for the first time while dealing with a group of six young siblings who only joined for the free snacks and seem to be single-mindedly dedicated to bad behavior.
Since it was founded by Melvin Spring in 2006, the theater company has done spring shows, summer shows and fall shows. But this year, “the schedule fell into place” for a winter show, says troupe President Chris Gallaugher.
“We finished Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and (had) time to fit in a holiday show,” Gallaugher says.
From the beginning, Pickerington Community Theatre has been dedicated to reaching out to the community and allowing everyone a shot at expressing themselves through theater. The recently-expanded season schedule – 2014’s four shows will be the most in any year of the show’s histo
ry – will help further that goal, as do efforts to ensure each season offers a mix of adult, teen and child roles.
The group is also always looking for behind-the-scenes assistance with lighting, make-up, costumes, technical work and promotions.
“There are so many moving parts, especially with musicals,” Gallaugher says. “We even have people from community bands who like to get involved.”
The theatre has grown in its short time and the group hopes to keep it growing, Gallaugher says, with one major goal being its own venue.
“We are a young theater, but we have grown immensely,” Gallaugher says.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will be performed Dec. 6-8 at Pickerington Christian Church and Dec. 13-15 at Rose Hill Church of Christ in Reynoldsburg. Ticket information can be found at www.pickeringtoncommunitytheatre.org or by
calling the box office at 614-378-5767.
The group’s 2014 schedule includes Hello, Dolly! in March, The Music Man in July, Harvey in October and A Charlie Brown Christmas in December, as well as a variety show on Feb. 1. In addition to its seasonal shows, the group has a traveling company that performs sketches from The Carol Burnett Show.
Nathan Rhodes is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
