By Michelle Gibson

As diverting as family movie night can be – whether at home or at a theater – it can be difficult to regularly find family-friendly movies, and it can also be expensive. Melvin Spring, co-founder and director of the Pickerington Community Theatre, thinks so, too.

That’s a big reason Spring, who lives with wife Faye near Reynoldsburg, had been active in various community theaters in the past before deciding to begin a similar organization in Reynoldsburg. However, he didn’t find much interest there, so he headed to Pickerington.

“The closest theater was in Grove City. When we held the first meeting on Oct. 18, 2006 at the Pickerington Arts Association, 85 people showed up. We established a constitution and by-laws even though we had no home and no idea where we were going. We just knew we wanted to create a quality, family-friendly theater,” he says.

The first production, Cheaper by the Dozen, was staged September and October of 2006. It remains Spring’s favorite production to date.

“It really signaled that we were up and running. The road was wide open and ready for us to travel down,” he says.

Since then, the theatre has produced nine shows, including six recent performances of Steel Magnolias in January. Their goal to provide family-friendly live theater and an opportunity to experience the arts in the Greater Columbus area has not changed, “though is has expanded,” says Pickerington Community Theatre President Adam Schroeder.

This expansion includes adding children’s shows such as Suessical in June 2009 “specifically for families to feel more comfortable,” Spring says. This endeavor was met with great success, and Spring believes Suessical was the best show the theatre ever produced.

Most of the shows are performed at the Violet Grange Theatre, 36 Lockville Rd. However, due to some financial difficulties, the theatre has been looking elsewhere for a home. Apart from the Grange, they have also performed at Pickerington Christian Church, where they enjoyed the “nice people, great acoustics, and great setting,” Spring says.

The theatre’s organizers have also been in talks with Park Alley Tavern in Pickerington and Da Vinci’s Market in Reynoldsburg about mystery dinner theatre and stand-up comedy opportunities.

“Whatever is made on one production goes into the next production,” Spring says. “The hope is to have our own place one day, though we do really enjoy the Grange. If a grant to upgrade the building is accepted, it has been proposed that we could lease it.”

At a recent Board of Trustees meeting, Schroeder suggested entering into a long-term lease with the City of Pickerington, which currently owns the Grange, and bringing the building up to code. He and Spring would like to one day help turn the Grange into a Pickerington arts center where the theatre can rehearse and hold acting classes or workshops, and where the community chorus can practice.

Though Spring says the theatre is doing “fairly well” with finances, the budget has proven to be the biggest setback. He attributes this simply to being relatively unknown in the area despite a devoted fan base who attend every show.

“At this point it’s really about getting the word out. People just don’t know about it, so we don’t have a lot of volunteers. We have a Web site and a Facebook page, but we need to get people involved and we need to find someplace to go,” he says.

Schroeder says the theatre members do the best they can with the resources they have.

Spring and the members of the theatre are doing everything possible to raise money, including fundraisers such as silent auctions, and they are always accepting donations of any kind.

“There’s an old saying that goes, ‘You can always tell who is a theatre person when more of their clothes and furniture are onstage than in their closet and home,” Spring says.

The Theatre’s next production, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by William Sterling and Lewis Carroll, runs July 23-Aug. 1. Auditions for the production will be held April 23-25. For more information about the Pickerington Community Theatre, visit its Web site at www.pickeringtoncommunitytheatre.org or become a fan of its Facebook page.

Michelle Gibson is a contributing writer for Pickerington Magazine.