THE SHOW GOES ON
DeSoto Family theater grows as community popularity hits an all-time high.
The DeSoto Family Theater, a vital community asset, can sometimes be overlooked in the excitement of sporting events, fairs and concerts held at the Landers Center in Southaven. But, the word is getting out and due to popular demand, the number of shows and camps held there grows every year.
The theater provides entertainment and exposure of the arts to the public but also offers a valuable education to young performers, carpenters, welders, sound and light engineers, costume and hair designers and more.
“Theater is made by the cast but it is also influenced by how the audience responds — by their sighs and their gasps they help create the experience by their immersion into the story,” said Dan Lehman, sales and community development manager for the DeSoto Family Theater. “It’s an entertaining immersive and emotional experience you cannot get any other way.”
The theater’s production of “Agatha Christie’s and Then There Were None” runs from Sept. 4-13. It will be the third show this season, in addition to several productions done as part of camps for young people.
“If someone graduates high school never seeing live theater they probably never will,” Lehman said. “We provide that opportunity close to home and we love entertaining and supporting the arts in the community.”
The even greater benefit, however, is for those who become part of the theater. For the performers the lessons learned are clear. Be seen, be heard, be understood. Skills demonstrated by the host of professional performers that are invited to perform.
“Most of these kids won’t go on to Broadway,” Lehman said. “But, these same three skills will help them in everything they do. Learn to communicate, be articulate, make yourself clear and also study and prepare for who you want to be. If you look you’ll find many politicians and top business people have a background in theater.” There is also a lot to be gained from set construction. So much so that the theater is working in conjunction with DeSoto County Schools Career Tech Center West, where students studying to be electricians, welders and many other fields get a chance to work alongside professionals like Brian Hall, owner of Cerberus General Contractors based in Hernando.
Hall has been a volunteer at the DeSoto Family Theater for the past three years. He said he enjoys using his talents to give back to the community even when the challenges can be a little daunting. Hall recently built very complex and ornate beds for the theater’s production of “The Secret Garden.”
“I got a picture of a bed, and I had to figure out how to not only build it but figure out what materials to use so that it could be moved on and offstage by two people. Normally the bed would have been very heavy,” Hall said.
Adapting designs for function is a valuable skill that can best be learned through facing the challenges of the theater. Things have to be done on deadline. The curtain goes up when it goes up and things have to be done, look good and work the way they are supposed to.
The same goes for the lighting, sound, costume, hair and makeup design. And the challenges are different with each show.
Hall also likes meeting a diverse group of people. Production staff ranges from students to FedEx night-shift employees with time during the day to professional contractors, like Hall, and local business leaders.
There is a job for everyone, Lehman said, no matter what their talent.
“See those glasses on stage?” he said, pointing to the props. “Each show someone drinks out of them and someone has to wash them after.”
Dec. 4-20, the DeSoto Family Theater will present “Miracle on 34th Street.” In their continual effort to serve the community, this year the theater will include a special performance of this show with some minor adjustments for those special needs.
“We’re going to do a show with the lights turned up. Normally there is a kind of invisible wall in front of the stage but with this show we’re not going to be too worried if that gets broken or if someone shouts something out. We want to give everyone the opportunity to experience theater,” Lehman said.
The DeSoto Family Theater also works cooperatively with local high schools, Northwest Mississippi Community College’s fine arts department, the Kudzu Playhouse, and the Panola Playhouse in Sardis.
The groups often share sets, costumes and other materials. This gives the community even more opportunities to experience and participate in local theater.
To buy tickets, visit dftonline.org. For more information on getting involved with the DeSoto Family Theater, contact Dan Lehman by e-mail at dlehman@dftonline.org or by phone at 901-870-2332.