A typical day at the office sees the boss all tied up in this scene from the Hill Country Community Theatre production of ‘9 to 5 The Musical.’ Doralee (Karrie King) poses with Franklin Hart Jr. (Anson J. Hahn). Courtesy photo
COTTONWOOD SHORES — The Hill Country Community Theatre’s win as the 2018 Locals Love Us favorite theater production in the Llano area made executive director Mike Rademakers smile.
He noted the Hill Country is filled with amazing theaters, and that includes the high school and secondary programs and the churches.
“I’m honored we keep getting it every year,” he said.
He noted those associated with each production work to make the current one better than the last, a standard that’s challenging to maintain. But, they do it because they are aware of the stigma.
“Community theater gets a bad rap,” Rademakers said. “People automatically think it’s amateurish.”
Those who attend HCCT productions can attest it’s a great evening of entertainment complete with cookies and drinks.
From comedies like “9 to 5: The Musical” to the too-close-to-home scenes from “Senior Moments,” the Hill Country Community Theatre has something for every audience.
Rademakers said a recent drama, “Rabbit Hole,” was so well-received that attendees had to tell him about it. “Rabbit Hole” was about a family suffering through the loss of a child eight months after his death. It forced many questions: Will the husband and wife go back to an intimate relationship? Will they sell the house? Will they sell their child’s stuff? How do you move forward in life after a tragedy?
“Not many in the public came and saw it,” Rademakers said, “but the people who saw it were blown away. I’ve never gotten as much email as I did for that.”
It was simply another top-notch production by the actors.
“I’m impressed over the quality of plays we’re doing,” he said. “People are always very surprised in this rural area of all the talent we have.”
He noted that when they’ve had talent shows, some of the theater players see it as an opportunity to recruit more residents onto the stage, including yodelers, country acts, and singers.
“People have gone on to be in other plays,” Rademakers said.
The other change is that productions now have three-week runs with 12 performances. Before, each production was two weeks and nine shows.
The next production is the spy spoof “The 39 Steps.” It opens Feb. 15.
“It’s a big, over-the-top, very popular play,” Rademakers said. “I think audiences will love it. We’re doing productions that make sense. We’re doing shows audiences want.”
For more information, go to thehcct.org or call (830) 798-8944. The theater is located at 4003 RR 2147 in Cottonwood Shores.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
