In the heart of Macon’s lively downtown lies a community theater that continues to produce performances for the Middle Georgia area as its members take part in productions after nearly 40 years of musicals and plays.
Theatre Macon is known for its community performances, however, talented productions are not the only reason the theater has been successful since its founding in 1986. The theater focuses on involving the community in stories in order to unite people of all backgrounds.
Community theater, according to Richard Frazier-Sostillio, the executive and artistic director of Theatre Macon, offers an opportunity for people to connect on a deeper level.
“The types of work that we do allow for different types of people to be in the same room together who may not be able to meet otherwise,” Frazier-Sostillio said. “We just get to, kind of, celebrate the endurance of the human spirit.”
Frazier-Sostillio says that allowing people to gather and celebrate their differences is one of the ideas that Theatre Macon was founded on.
Why is community theater important?
Ella Trotter, a participant in many of Theatre Macon’s performances, has been doing theater since she was 6. Community theater is important to her because she believes “it’s important to participate in things that foster a strong sense of community and belongingness, and community theater is a great outlet for that.”
Beyond offering a place for connection and understanding, theaters often act as a “third space,” said Jake Grisamore, Theatre Macon’s scene shop foreman.
A third place is a space that people go to between work and home as a place to relax and socialize without the stress of spending much money. Third places are areas to build community.
Grisamore says that nowadays there are “not a lot of places that kids can go and be a part of something that isn’t, you know, school or home.”
Alli Yeomans, a performer with Theatre Macon, says community theater is important because it offers a place for adults to continue their passions.
“There are softball leagues for adults, there are volleyball leagues, tennis leagues, pickleball, all these things that adult athletes can do once they leave school, but that’s not something that is possible for adult artists, unless you find a community theater home,” she said.
According to Yeomans, getting involved in creative spaces is important.
“It is so important to find a place like Theatre Macon,” she said. “That makes you feel at home and makes you feel valuable while you’re there.”
How is community theater faring across the US?
According to a survey focused on community theater trends conducted by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT), 75% of theaters surveyed are seeing sufficient budget usage, either breaking even, or having a surplus, while 24% of community theaters are in a deficit. This, however, is coupled with a trend over the last six years that shows a 35% decrease in ticket sales and 37% of theaters are seeing ticket sales continue at a flat rate.
Decreasing or stagnant ticket sales can lead to less funding for community theaters overall. According to the AACT, many theaters rely on ticket sales and payments for classes they teach for their income.
Theatre Macon relies primarily on ticket sales and sponsorships due to the theater’s nonprofit status, according to Frazier-Sostillio.
“Ticket sales kind of help us meet our baseline. But our sponsorships and our in-kind grants really, kind of, help us to move forward as an organization,” Frazier-Sostillio said.
He notes that in a post-pandemic world, ticket sales alone cannot sustain the theater, so support from sponsorships are important.
Compared to 2019, 58% of theaters have had to increase the price of tickets, according to the AACT survey.
At Theatre Macon, ticket prices range from $15 for students to $30 for adults, with senior and military discounts available.
Community theater builds real-world skills
Community theater also offers an opportunity to learn life skills that could be otherwise looked over or lost.
“Our goal is not to create the next Broadway star. The goal is to create great humans who understand the importance of teamwork, who understand the importance of empathy, and who understand what it means to work hard,” Frazier-Sostillio said.
According to the Educational Theatre Association’s 2024 State of Theatre Education Report, participating in theater helps boost self-confidence and builds skills such as communication and collaboration.
In order to continue building these skills, Theatre Macon hosts Theatre Macon Academy, a series of summer workshops and classes for both youth and adults to expand and explore their knowledge of theater and related fields in a safe learning environment.
Each session consists of a week of classes and rehearsals, culminating in a performance utilizing the skills learned throughout the week.
Why live performances?
Live theater, unlike movies or filmed performance, has a special quality to it, Trotter said.
“I think there is something special about going to see a show, a live theater show, in-person that anyone could understand. Just the energy is so special and you have to be there to feel it,” she said.
Yeomans, who participated in her first show with Theatre Macon this summer, echoes a similar sentiment that recordings are not a replacement for live theater.
“I don’t think it’s a replacement for actual live theater and it’s certainly not a replacement for seeing live theater that is community-based because you’re going to see your, you know, your teacher, your daughter’s theater director,” Yeomans said. “You’re going to see a kid from your kid’s elementary school and that’s the talent that we get to showcase at Theatre Macon.”
Frazier-Sostillio says that the age of streaming platforms makes it harder for all live performances to get people to the doors.
Despite competing with online platforms, Frazier-Sostillio says that community theater is more important than ever.
“Theater is alive and well in Macon,” he said.
What types of shows are offered at Theatre Macon?
Frazier-Sostillio became the artistic director in 2018, but before then he says he worked with Theatre Macon for years. Since Frazier-Sostillio began working with Theatre Macon, the biggest areas of growth the organization has seen is in the diversity of shows they are able to produce.
The 2024-2025 season features performances such as Fences by August Wilson, a play about the struggles an African American family faces in 1950s Pittsburgh, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner, a play about struggles faced during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and musicals such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical, a story about a boy who wins a chance to explore a famous chocolate factory.
Every season, Theatre Macon produces nine shows, a mix of both plays and musicals, including a large summer musical, such as Newsies from last summer.
“Our theater was founded on creating theater that is meant to start conversation that is meant to provoke thoughts and, and really reflect inwards and outward on ourselves, but then also the community and the world that we live in,” Frazier-Sostillio said.
Frazier-Sostillio says that he is fortunate that he is able to choose the shows Theatre Macon produces each season in order to best fit both the performers and the community.
“The goal of creating a season is just to create something as well rounded as possible,” Frazier-Sostillio said.
Frazier-Sostillio says the theater’s season should make people want to come to the theatre and be a part of it.
