Theater lovers received a treat recently when they attended the Theatrepalooza Festival at Highland High School. Coordinated by the Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation, audience members enjoyed excerpts from 12 past and current theater productions from various theater groups.
“(Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation) was designed to recognize excellence in the arts in community theaters and to encourage cooperation versus competition,” president Becky Jascoviak said. “Today, we represent 15 theaters across all of Northwest Indiana.”
Eleven of those theater groups took the stage in Monbeck Auditorium to participate in Theatrepalooza.
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“When you mention live theater, most people think of Chicago,” said Matt Byerly, Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation board member. “They need to think closer to home. Northwest Indiana has so much to offer.”
The free event featured 11 of the 15 Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation member theaters presenting snippets from their past, current and upcoming plays.
They were Beatniks on Conkey in Hammond, 4th Street Theatre in Chesterton, Genesius Guild in Hammond, Valparaiso Theatrical Company, Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, Crown Point Community Theatre, MakeShift Up (a new improv group) based out of Crown Point Community Theatre, Hammond Community Theatre, Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso, Gary Ensemble Theatre Company, Gary Shakespeare Company and Highland Parks Performing Arts Group.
The four groups not represented at Theatrepalooza were M&M Productions/Ross Music Theatre in Merrillville, L’arc en Ciel Theatre Group in Cedar Lake, and Dunes Summer Theatre and Festival Players Guild, both in Michigan City.
Greg and Janet Gremba of Lansing, Ill., didn’t know there was live theater in Northwest Indiana until they started attending shows at The Towle Theatre in downtown Hammond five years ago.
“Now that we’re finding out about all these others, we will plan accordingly,” Janet said during the Theatrepalooza intermission. “It’s amazing that there is so much live theater right here. You don’t have to go to Chicago.”
Her husband agreed, and added, “Live theater gives a more personal experience.”
This is the second year Theatrepalooza has been offered to the community. Last year, it was held at Merrillville High School with 250 attendees.
“We want to host the event in a large auditorium that can accommodate a large audience and is centrally located. We plan to continue to move it around to various venues across Northwest Indiana in future versions,” Jascoviak said. “The goal is to showcase the excellent quality productions we have right here in our own back yard.
The Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation, an all-volunteer group with 15 board members, began in 1992 with six theaters. The organization continues to honor excellence through a Tony Awards-style gala held each October at Avalon Manor in Merrillville.
The group’s website, www.nietf.org, promotes shows going on across the region and allows theater fans to purchase tickets and find out about auditions, volunteering and other special events like camps and fundraisers.
The organization also hosts educational programs for theaters and the public, and offers a college scholarship each year to a student from the region who is majoring in one of the theatrical arts. It also provides an annual grant to one theater for a special project.
“We’re here to help relieve some of the administration components of running a community theater such as marketing, fundraising, compliance, etc., so that each theater can focus on what they do best — putting on great art,” Jascoviak said.
This year’s Theatrepalooza was supported by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission and South Shore Arts and was sponsored by Ideas in Motion Media.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.