When George Bailey staggers onto the Charlotte Performing Arts Center stage Saturday, Dec. 20, he will mark the return of community theatre in Charlotte. His story, known to many from the timeless holiday classic, It’s A Wonderful Life, will be brought to life by one of the community’s newest groups — Andromeda Community Theatre (ACT).
ACT will present two performances of the play, adapted for the stage by James W. Rodgers, at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center. The show premieres on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. The second performance will be held Sunday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.
The group came together to in an effort to restore community theatre, which has been absent in Charlotte for decades. It has already succeeded in creating a sense of community among its members.
“This group is like a family already,” said Andrew Hipkiss, who will direct the production of Frank Capra’s timeless tale. “There is a real sense of camaraderie.”
The challenge lies in taking the closeness and sense of community the group has gained over the course of the last two months and conveying it to the audience.
“It’s nice that it’s coming up so close to the holiday because I think it sets the right tone,” Hipkiss said. “All of the themes of the movie are here — friendship, character and love, the whole sense of community. We want to create that communal spirit, not just with our own group, but the community at large.”
Charlotte resident, Wally Pleasant, who will play the lead role of George Bailey, said chemistry among the members came naturally.
“Eighty percent of the people in this group are people that I didn’t know coming into it,” Pleasant said. “I’ve heard many refer to it as a family atmosphere … it really came together quickly.”
The sense of closeness has allowed the performers to open up and push themselves to be better.
Charlotte resident, Bill Mitchell, said he was expecting to be nervous heading into the first auditions. His last experience on stage came in high school.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Mitchell said. “I was very excited about doing something I remember was a lot of fun. We all seem to be gelling to form a closely knit troupe.”
Though the experience level of each member of ACT varies tremendously, he’s been more than pleased with their work to this point and said the audience can expect to be transported to Bedford Falls when attending the show.
“Will such a well known film, there can be a tendency to get copycat performances, because the characters are so identifiable,” Hipkiss said. “We’ve really worked to break through those barriers and everyone seems to get it at this point, understand it and are comfortable with their role. We’re not trying to mimic the movie onstage. We want to keep that feeling that the movie naturally demonstrates.”
Hipkiss said It’s A Wonderful Life marks the first of what could become three to four productions a year for ACT. He said the group has discussed doing a musical, a comedy, a drama and even developing some workshops for current and potential future members.
Both Pleasant and Mitchell said they hope to continue working with ACT in the future.
“I’m really excited about being a part of this troupe,” Mitchell said. “I see myself as being a part of this organization in some form or another for as long as I can.”
Tickets for It’s A Wonderful Life can be purchased at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center box office or online at www.cpacpresents.com. You can learn more about Andromeda Community Theatre through its Facebook page.
