Augusta Players moving forward and looking back
Moses has nothing on The Augusta Players.
The Old Testament tells us Moses led his people through the desert for 40 years in their quest to find their promised land. The Augusta Players have wandered the CSRA looking for their own permanent home for almost 80 years. Finally, Augusta’s oldest performing arts group has in fact found their promised land, and the organization’s years of a nomadic existence has finally come to end. Just as it is planning its Oak anniversary – we had to look that up – the group is finally transitioning from renters to owners.
The space sitting at 712 Ellis Street in downtown Augusta, is, ironically, within 25 feet of the backstage door of the Miller Theater and just a few blocks from the Imperial Theater, the Players performance home for nearly 25 years. The current facade at 712 Ellis does not reveal much of its colorful history. Reportedly built as a livery and farrier stables over a century ago, the transportation spirit of the building continued as a multi-level car repair and restoration facility for many years. When the current $1.9 million upgrade and refurbishment project is complete, the $3 million facility will serve as offices, warehouse storage, rehearsal space, and an intimate performance venue for the Players, who will continue producing large-scale musicals at the Imperial.
“We have been hoping for quite a while to be able to consolidate our offstage offices and rehearsal spaces in one location,” said Augusta Players Executive and Artistic Director Scott Seidl. “To be able to include our own warehouse and storage space in the same location is amazing.”
While the Players have recently been using the Jessye Norman School of the Arts on Greene Street for rehearsals, this will be the first time since they moved from the relatively tiny Augusta Players Playhouse on Lake Forest Drive in the 1980s that they will have all their business, except for Imperial performances, under one roof.
That building was a ramshackle improvisation of a theater, under long-term loan from the Richmond County Board of Education. Still, it saw countless talented future artists begin their performing careers on its spongy stage, including recently retired John Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School Theater Department Director/Educator, Elizabeth Ann Walpert. She began her performing career in late 1973, at the urging of family friend Bonnie Pirkle. It was the beginning of an avocation, which grew into her lifelong vocation.
“It all started right there, at the old Playhouse,” she said. “Such excitement and fun! It was all new to me, but the spirit and the collaborations were very meaningful. And that little building had some magic in it! Even the smell of the place was distinctive – old paint and plywood, recycled flats, stage make-up – it was like the smell of a grandparent’s house! Distinctive and heartwarming.”
Nicole Swanson also performed at the Lake Forest Drive Playhouse. Now an accomplished professional voice actor and narrator, as well as a grown mother of three, Swanson debuted there at 11 in a production of “Heidi” directed by the late Rick Bracken. She says the impact of the experience cannot be overstated.
“There is no doubt my love of theater and performance grew and flourished at the Playhouse,” she said.” It was such a wonderful environment to learn in and learn from. Such amazing memories and friends!”
When the Playhouse finally was demolished about 10 years ago, Nicole Swanson and several other Players alumni grabbed a few bricks from the rubble as keepsakes. Some still covered in the bright red paint applied many years past by dedicated Players volunteers.
When the school board decided to reclaim the Playhouse for office space, the Players were displaced and forced to become “Augusta’s houseguest” for the next three decades. Offices, rehearsal space, and warehouse storage were often catch-as-catch-can for the organization and it was rarely free. Owning this new facility will give the Players a permanent sense of being home and be more cost-effective.
“Our nomadic journey has certainly limited us in many ways – rehearsal schedules, technical limitations and storage and the like. The money we will save in rent is truly exceptional, but having everything under one roof, in this new facility, will give us a real sense of home,” Seidl remarked. With 17,000 square feet of total space, the small performance venue at 712 Ellis will have, ironically, seating for 200 patrons.
For Scott Seidl, this facility represents not only a new chapter for the Augusta Players, but another great addition to downtown Augusta.
“As an organization we are invested in our community as they are invested in us,” he said. “How exciting to see our progress move the revitalization and investment in downtown forward. We continue to expand as we see the city and surrounding businesses do the same.”
The $3 million project has been made possible through the initial generosity and support of the Williford and Pope families, but there is still much fundraising to do with at least 2/3rds of the costs yet to be covered. Seidl says capital drive efforts continue, and they need the community’s help.
“Get over to our website, at augustaplayers.org,” he said. “Our theme is ‘Finding Home.’ All our fundraising information is there. And actually, we have finally found our home. Now we need to pay for it!”