CLARKSVILLE LITTLE THEATRE
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On a day plagued by icy roads, snowy landscapes and sub-zero temperatures, five people tried solve a murder in a dim room. But no murder had actually occurred.
The people were actors, and they were rehearsing a murder mystery production, “Laura,” in Clarksville Little Theatre. Clarksville Little Theatre, located at 301 E. Montgomery Ave. in Clarksville, is one of the oldest continually operating community theaters in the U.S. According to the theater’s website, a variety of productions, including “Laura,” “Alice in Wonderland” and others, have played at the theatre since 1947. remembering clarksville little theatre's past
In 1947, Clarksville Little Theatre was founded by a committee. The old George Rogers Clark School in Clarksville was the site of the theater’s first productions. A few productions were also performed at the old Colgate School in Clarksville and the Clarksville Optimist Club.
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1951, plans to build a theatre developed. Committees raised money to enable
Clarksville Little Theatre to have its own building.
The town of Clarksville sold Clarksville Little Theatre the land for its building, and community members helped construct the building.
Since the building’s completion, Clarksville Little Theatre has evolved. Besides holding several productions a season, including a children’s show, it has received numerous renovations and additions. There is also a board of directors that makes decisions and runs the theater.
Jack Wilcoxson is the president of Clarksville Little Theatre’s board of directors. He has been on the board for six years, and he has been the president for a year.
Wilcoxson said he has been involved with Clarksville Little Theatre since 1967.
“I was back home from IU doing my student teaching, and a friend of mine who had been involved here asked me to come down and work backstage on a play,” Wilcoxson said. “That was in March 1967, and it was 'Pygmalion.' And I’ve been here off and on ever since.”
Wilcoxson said his favorite play Clarksville Little Theatre has done so far was “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln,” which was performed in the theater’s 1977-1978 season.
“It was a very good drama,” Wilcoxson said. “It was done (with) very little set, platforms and just furniture, and I just thought it was excellently acted. The lead was a marvelous actress, and it’s a show that I’ll always remember.”
“Come Blow Your Horn” was another notable play that was performed at the theater, Wilcoxson said. The play, a comedy about a family with two sons, was most recently performed at the theater in January 2015.
“The older son had an apartment, and he just was kind of fooling around,” Wilcoxson said. “He had lots of women coming in and out. His parents were really concerned about him, and he had a younger (brother) that seemed to be following what (the parents) thought would be the right way to go, and he came to live with his brother. The older one turned out getting married and settling down, and the young one took over being a bum. They just kind of reversed situations.”
In addition to holding numerous performances, several renovations and other improvements have been made to Clarksville Little Theatre. For example, the back of the theater expanded about a decade ago.
“We have a fairly new addition on the back of the theater, maybe 10 to 15 years ago, I can’t remember exactly,” Wilcoxson said. “We put in two dressing rooms and a restroom and a new work area. Before that, everything built for the show had to be built in the wing. We only had a very small wing and so everything was done there, and we had two very small dressing rooms back there, so (the addition) was a big improvement.”
The town of Clarksville sold Clarksville Little Theatre the land for its building, and community members helped construct the building.
Since the building’s completion, Clarksville Little Theatre has evolved. Besides holding several productions a season, including a children’s show, it has received numerous renovations and additions. There is also a board of directors that makes decisions and runs the theater.
Jack Wilcoxson is the president of Clarksville Little Theatre’s board of directors. He has been on the board for six years, and he has been the president for a year.
Wilcoxson said he has been involved with Clarksville Little Theatre since 1967.
“I was back home from IU doing my student teaching, and a friend of mine who had been involved here asked me to come down and work backstage on a play,” Wilcoxson said. “That was in March 1967, and it was 'Pygmalion.' And I’ve been here off and on ever since.”
Wilcoxson said his favorite play Clarksville Little Theatre has done so far was “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln,” which was performed in the theater’s 1977-1978 season.
“It was a very good drama,” Wilcoxson said. “It was done (with) very little set, platforms and just furniture, and I just thought it was excellently acted. The lead was a marvelous actress, and it’s a show that I’ll always remember.”
“Come Blow Your Horn” was another notable play that was performed at the theater, Wilcoxson said. The play, a comedy about a family with two sons, was most recently performed at the theater in January 2015.
“The older son had an apartment, and he just was kind of fooling around,” Wilcoxson said. “He had lots of women coming in and out. His parents were really concerned about him, and he had a younger (brother) that seemed to be following what (the parents) thought would be the right way to go, and he came to live with his brother. The older one turned out getting married and settling down, and the young one took over being a bum. They just kind of reversed situations.”
In addition to holding numerous performances, several renovations and other improvements have been made to Clarksville Little Theatre. For example, the back of the theater expanded about a decade ago.
“We have a fairly new addition on the back of the theater, maybe 10 to 15 years ago, I can’t remember exactly,” Wilcoxson said. “We put in two dressing rooms and a restroom and a new work area. Before that, everything built for the show had to be built in the wing. We only had a very small wing and so everything was done there, and we had two very small dressing rooms back there, so (the addition) was a big improvement.”
Clarksville Little Theatre today
Each season, five productions are performed at Clarksville Little Theatre. Performances occur in September, November, January, March and May.
Productions are performed during four days of the week during their runs: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For each production, Wilcoxson said the first Saturday draws the most people to the theater.
In addition to regular productions, a children’s production occurs each summer. Wilcoxson said around 35 children are involved in the production each year.
“Our actors are from 6 to 12, and then, if you’re above 12, we can use you in the production side of it,” Wilcoxson said.
Clarksville Little Theatre has had several directors for its productions, including Andrew McGill. Most recently, McGill directed “Laura.”
“(‘Laura’) was my third one,” McGill said. “I directed ‘Christmas Belles’ last season, and the season before, I directed ‘Dial M for Murder.’”
McGill said he has been involved with Clarksville Little Theatre for seven seasons.
“I started in July of 2008, on stage, and I’ve just been going ever since,” McGill said.
Jane Burke has acted in several Clarksville Little Theatre productions. She said she has worked with McGill in productions, and he works hard to make the productions successful.
“I’ve worked with Andrew on quite a few shows he’s directed,” Burke said. “He’s good to work with, and he does have good patience for the shows, and they’re really pulled off, very classy plays, classy shows.”
At Clarksville Little Theatre, only directors, choreographers and piano accompanists are paid. As a result, Wilcoxson said the theater relies on volunteers.
“Everybody else involved -- all the actors, the board, anybody else who works here -- is a volunteer,” Wilcoxson said. “So all the volunteers come from the community. If the community wasn’t supporting us like that, we would be nonexistent.”
For productions, McGill said the actors usually put together their own costumes, but the theater sometimes gets costumes from other theaters.
“Most actors will provide their own costumes for any Clarksville show, and this cast has been really great about going through our costume room and saying, ‘I need this, I need that,’ and we have done what we can to get what we need from other community theaters, which is another thing we do a lot of,” McGill said.
Wilcoxson said actors sometimes go to flea market shops or consignment shops to find costumes. He also said that the theater has costumes made on rare occasions.
Wilcoxson said Clarksville Little Theatre has seen growth in its attendance recently, and it has received positive feedback from audience members.
“This year especially, we’ve had a lot of positive comments from the audience,” Wilcoxson said. “We’ve had a lot of people this year that it’s been their first time, especially our first show, ‘The Addams Family,’ which hadn’t been done around here by a local group. We had a lot of people come in specifically to see that show who didn’t even know that we existed until they saw that show advertised.”
Gary Crockett, an actor at Clarksville Little Theatre, said he enjoys performing for audiences.
“The audiences that come here, they have a very loyal, faithful season ticket base, and then the other that come to see the shows are always very appreciative,” Crockett said. “They know good theater when they see it, and they always let you know when you’re doing a good job.”
Crockett said the theater’s location is beneficial, because it draws more actors and audience members.
“It’s pretty centrally located, which allows us to draw from way out in the East End where Jane (Burke) is, even going west as far as Corydon or even farther,” Crockett said. “We’ve had lots of actors come from miles around to do stuff here because it’s a good central location.”
Burke said she lives in Crestwood, Kentucky, but she still enjoys coming to Clarksville Little Theater to act in productions.
“I make the trip over here, because I enjoy it so much over here, and I like the people and I like the facility, and we have fun,” Burke said.
Burke said her favorite part of being involved with Clarksville Little Theatre is that she gets to work with the other cast members during rehearsals and performances.
“The best part? Just working with these wonderful people!” Burke said.
Productions are performed during four days of the week during their runs: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For each production, Wilcoxson said the first Saturday draws the most people to the theater.
In addition to regular productions, a children’s production occurs each summer. Wilcoxson said around 35 children are involved in the production each year.
“Our actors are from 6 to 12, and then, if you’re above 12, we can use you in the production side of it,” Wilcoxson said.
Clarksville Little Theatre has had several directors for its productions, including Andrew McGill. Most recently, McGill directed “Laura.”
“(‘Laura’) was my third one,” McGill said. “I directed ‘Christmas Belles’ last season, and the season before, I directed ‘Dial M for Murder.’”
McGill said he has been involved with Clarksville Little Theatre for seven seasons.
“I started in July of 2008, on stage, and I’ve just been going ever since,” McGill said.
Jane Burke has acted in several Clarksville Little Theatre productions. She said she has worked with McGill in productions, and he works hard to make the productions successful.
“I’ve worked with Andrew on quite a few shows he’s directed,” Burke said. “He’s good to work with, and he does have good patience for the shows, and they’re really pulled off, very classy plays, classy shows.”
At Clarksville Little Theatre, only directors, choreographers and piano accompanists are paid. As a result, Wilcoxson said the theater relies on volunteers.
“Everybody else involved -- all the actors, the board, anybody else who works here -- is a volunteer,” Wilcoxson said. “So all the volunteers come from the community. If the community wasn’t supporting us like that, we would be nonexistent.”
For productions, McGill said the actors usually put together their own costumes, but the theater sometimes gets costumes from other theaters.
“Most actors will provide their own costumes for any Clarksville show, and this cast has been really great about going through our costume room and saying, ‘I need this, I need that,’ and we have done what we can to get what we need from other community theaters, which is another thing we do a lot of,” McGill said.
Wilcoxson said actors sometimes go to flea market shops or consignment shops to find costumes. He also said that the theater has costumes made on rare occasions.
Wilcoxson said Clarksville Little Theatre has seen growth in its attendance recently, and it has received positive feedback from audience members.
“This year especially, we’ve had a lot of positive comments from the audience,” Wilcoxson said. “We’ve had a lot of people this year that it’s been their first time, especially our first show, ‘The Addams Family,’ which hadn’t been done around here by a local group. We had a lot of people come in specifically to see that show who didn’t even know that we existed until they saw that show advertised.”
Gary Crockett, an actor at Clarksville Little Theatre, said he enjoys performing for audiences.
“The audiences that come here, they have a very loyal, faithful season ticket base, and then the other that come to see the shows are always very appreciative,” Crockett said. “They know good theater when they see it, and they always let you know when you’re doing a good job.”
Crockett said the theater’s location is beneficial, because it draws more actors and audience members.
“It’s pretty centrally located, which allows us to draw from way out in the East End where Jane (Burke) is, even going west as far as Corydon or even farther,” Crockett said. “We’ve had lots of actors come from miles around to do stuff here because it’s a good central location.”
Burke said she lives in Crestwood, Kentucky, but she still enjoys coming to Clarksville Little Theater to act in productions.
“I make the trip over here, because I enjoy it so much over here, and I like the people and I like the facility, and we have fun,” Burke said.
Burke said her favorite part of being involved with Clarksville Little Theatre is that she gets to work with the other cast members during rehearsals and performances.
“The best part? Just working with these wonderful people!” Burke said.
The future of Clarksville Little Theatre
In the future, McGill said he wants Clarksville Little Theatre to get more publicity.
“Right now, we just send out emails to local news stations and newspapers, and I think if we had a more active base of subscribers and advertisers in our programs, the word would get out more,” McGill said. “We’d have posters in more shops in downtown Jeffersonville, instead of just a couple.”
McGill said a downside is that most of the actors live in Louisville.
“The cast is great about taking some of the posters and putting them out, but a lot of the actors here do live in Louisville,” McGill said. “And so the posters end up in Louisville, but not in our community. I just think that if we had a better system for publicizing ourselves, for marketing ourselves, we would thrive a lot more.”
McGill said the bridge construction could help more people become aware of Clarksville Little Theatre.
“I think once it’s finished, it will help,” McGill said. “I know that since they started construction, we have seen a small decline in our audiences, but then again, we’ve also done some new, different shows that have brought a lot more people. So I think once it’s all finished and once they have everything done, that’s our chance to say, ‘Hey we’re here, this is all done, you don’t have to worry about sitting in traffic for an hour and a half, come over and see one of our shows.’”
Wilcoxson said anyone is welcome to come to Clarksville Little Theatre, and there are several ways people can be involved.
“We are open for anybody that wants to come, to try out or to volunteer,” Wilcoxson said. “It’s not a closed theater. We’ve had people here from all over Southern Indiana, Louisville, people that have come from Seymour, Salem down, to be in shows. Hopefully if they’ve never been here, people will come at least once to see what we’re about.”
“Right now, we just send out emails to local news stations and newspapers, and I think if we had a more active base of subscribers and advertisers in our programs, the word would get out more,” McGill said. “We’d have posters in more shops in downtown Jeffersonville, instead of just a couple.”
McGill said a downside is that most of the actors live in Louisville.
“The cast is great about taking some of the posters and putting them out, but a lot of the actors here do live in Louisville,” McGill said. “And so the posters end up in Louisville, but not in our community. I just think that if we had a better system for publicizing ourselves, for marketing ourselves, we would thrive a lot more.”
McGill said the bridge construction could help more people become aware of Clarksville Little Theatre.
“I think once it’s finished, it will help,” McGill said. “I know that since they started construction, we have seen a small decline in our audiences, but then again, we’ve also done some new, different shows that have brought a lot more people. So I think once it’s all finished and once they have everything done, that’s our chance to say, ‘Hey we’re here, this is all done, you don’t have to worry about sitting in traffic for an hour and a half, come over and see one of our shows.’”
Wilcoxson said anyone is welcome to come to Clarksville Little Theatre, and there are several ways people can be involved.
“We are open for anybody that wants to come, to try out or to volunteer,” Wilcoxson said. “It’s not a closed theater. We’ve had people here from all over Southern Indiana, Louisville, people that have come from Seymour, Salem down, to be in shows. Hopefully if they’ve never been here, people will come at least once to see what we’re about.”
