By KAYLEE MILLER
THE VALATIE COMMUNITY THEATER has been with the community for 20 years now; throughout the theater’s time it has gone from a movie theater to what it is widely known as today, a community theater. When the building was first becoming the theater we know today, it needed a lot of work. Craig Hancock, the Valatie Community Theater Board president, stated, “I remember coming in here and finding it kind of hard to breathe.”
The bathrooms in the theater have recently been added, but before that, they were using porta potties. The balcony has been out of use for years though they plan on rebuilding the whole balcony.
The theater could have been better, but the people saw potential and knew it could be something the community would adore. A nonprofit board of directors runs the theater. They do not charge for people to audition or be part of the play, and though the actors are not getting paid, they still love and appreciate the time they spend at the theater.
The theater has had productions since 2005 but was shut down one year to build the stage. Every summer for the last 19 years they have succeeded in producing their summer plays.
The theater does junior plays and plays for teens/young adults. This year, the plays are “Finding Nemo Junior” and “Legally Blonde Junior,” while the older kids and adults performed in an Emily Dickinson tribute, “Puffs,” “Sam’s Point” and more. During Christmastime, the theater will be doing “The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus,” and will host a holiday open house at Valatie Winter Walk and open mic night.
Upcoming shows are “Finding Nemo Junior” from July 26 to 28 and “Legally Blonde Junior” from Friday, August 16 to Sunday, August 18.
The plays are normally inside, however, they are starting to be outside in the village’s gazebo in Martin H. Glynn Park on Church Street.
The theater does not just do plays, they have been doing comedy and music nights for many years now as well.
Helen Schneider was the theater’s first stage director, and she was the one who originally wanted to run a theater program. While at the theater, she worked on directing and costume management. The job was then passed down to Alex Malsan, who according to some of the acting crew, is a confident guy who always brought laughter and creativity into the environment. He came to the program as an actor but left as a director. Mr. Malsan then found a job as a teacher in northern New York and was recently replaced the community theater by Tonya Phelps.
According to the current stage crew, she is a passionate, inspiring woman who always cares for the health and community of the theater. Although Ms. Phelps has not been with the theater for long, she has and continues to make progress in the theater community. She is in charge of directing, keeping the kids calm and focused.
The theater is looking for more suggestions on what plays to do, how the productions went, and more. If you have any ideas, let the board of directors know at vctshedule@gmail.com
