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CAST -- A Brief History
The saga of the Community Alliance for Stage and Theatre (C.A.S.T.) began in 1986, when a group of like-minded and enterprising citizens of Douglas County banded together to share their love of theatre, and find a way of performing for the local public. From the start, the emphasis was on the “Community” part of our name—our group has always prided itself on being open and welcoming to anyone interested in the theatre process, including first-timers. Many people who started their stage careers with us have gone on to perform throughout Atlanta and elsewhere—and even to appear onscreen in television and movies.
That first season, over twenty years ago, was also the start of our continuing tradition of outdoor summer theatre. Our first outdoor venue was a special stage located behind the Cultural Arts Center on Campbellton Road. Audience members sat on the lawn, underneath the stars and the spreading trees, and enjoyed picnic dinners. Dozens of one-act plays were performed that inaugural summer, from mystery thrillers to children’s shows. The experience was so gratifying and successful, for both the actors and the patrons, that the summer shows have continued year after year. A new season is planned for this coming summer, keeping the experience very much alive and vital. Typically, summer theatre has featured light, comedic pieces, but we’ve tried a little bit of everything over the years-Anton Chekov, David Mamet, Thornton Wilder, Edward Albee, even Shakespeare. Our first original work, adapted just for us by a local playwright, was staged in 1996. Our first full length summer production was Plaza Suite in 1993, followed by such shows as Faith County, Dearly Departed, and Doing Time at the Alamo. In 1993, the location for our shows switched from the Arts center to a central downtown location in O’Neal Plaza. We have been there ever since.
C.A.S.T. has always tried to make summer theatre a “user friendly” event, with low prices, space for people wandering by in the square to stop and watch for a while (though you still have to pay for a seat up close) and plenty of plays to let newcomers get involved with acting or production.
In addition to it’s summer theatre work, C.A.S.T. quickly began to stage full-length shows elsewhere. In the beginning, we concentrated on light mystery plays such as Out of Sight, Out of Murder and Death by Chocolate. Space for our performances was found at a variety of locations such as schools and restaurants. Our non-summer work really took off in 1994, however, when we began a long series of dinner theatre productions. Our first dinner theatre shows were performed at Aldo’s Italian restaurant (now Sam and Roscoe’s). We have performed at a number or different restaurants since then, including Carollo’s and Green Manor in Fairburn. We are happy to now have long-term homes at both the Golden Buddha restaurant in Douglasville and the Olive Tree near Lithia Springs. We are currently planning to increase our schedule of dinner theatre productions to six a year. While we maintain our history of favoring audience-participation mysteries, we continue to experiment with different genres, including comedies and improv-based variety shows.
Beginning in 2001, C.A.S.T. entered the world of full-length dramatic productions with well-received stagings of Driving Miss Daisy and Steel Magnolias. At first, such shows were performed at the Old Courthouse space just off O’Neal Plaza. We are currently planning to revive this kind of offering in the near future and are looking for the best and most accessible public venue.
Other C.A.S.T. activities over the years have included acting classes for local youth and participation in statewide one-act competitions in such locations as Valdosta and Athens. We have recently started our own improvisational group, Nuts and Jolts, and invite anyone interested to attend our open “classes” at the Golden Buddha on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. C.A.S.T. continues to command the love and loyalty of many who have worked with it over the years. Several of our current members have been involved in the group almost from the beginning. We invite you to become involved as well. All you need to bring with you is an interest in having fun—onstage or backstage. Our general meetings are held at the Buddha on the first Monday of every month, at 7:00 p.m. Come help us build or future!