Marathon Community Theater is celebrating its 82nd season and 30 years of “applause” on stage, with a new fundraising campaign aimed at keeping the Middle Keys cultural institution strong for years to come.
John Schaefer of Marathon Community Theater joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the organizaiton.
The theater will kick off its fundraising campaign with its annual gala on Oct. 9 and 10. This year’s featured entertainer will be Jamie Roberts, who has previously performed for the theater.
Schaefer said Roberts brings a professional level of experience and energy to the stage.
The theater recently held auditions for its upcoming productions, with numerous new faces among the performers.
The season opens with the classic musical “Annie,” beginning Nov. 5. Allison Sayer and Alex Rickert are co-directing the production, which will feature local young talent alongside experienced performers.
The theater’s annual holiday production will follow on Dec. 4 and 5.
In January, the theater will present “Arsenic and Old Lace,” beginning Jan. 14. Karen Shotwell is directing the classic comedy, which follows two elderly sisters whose seemingly charitable efforts take a decidedly dark turn.
The season continues March 11 through April 3 with “Peter Pan Goes Wrong,” directed by Kara Pascucci.
Schaefer described the production as a hilarious take on a community theater attempting to stage the classic “Peter Pan” story, with virtually everything going wrong.
Schaefer will also take a role in the production.
The final production of the season will be “The Shark Is Broken,” directed by Sam Merrell. The play explores the relationships among actors Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw and Roy Scheider while they were filming “Jaws,” including the downtime caused by repeated problems with the movie’s mechanical shark.
While the theater is preparing for a full season, financial challenges remain.
Schaefer said last year’s fundraising campaign helped raise a substantial amount of money for facility improvements, but the theater ultimately had to take out a loan to complete the work.
One of the theater’s goals this year is to reduce that debt.
“We did pretty good. We got a lot of money, but we didn’t get quite enough,” Schaefer said.
He said monthly loan payments can be particularly difficult during the summer, when the theater has fewer productions and events generating revenue.
The fundraising campaign is intended to help with those ongoing expenses while also supporting maintenance and improvements to the facility.
Schaefer said the theater’s long history reflects its importance to the Middle Keys community.
Over the past 82 years, thousands of volunteers, performers, patrons and supporters have helped make Marathon Community Theater a center for cultural arts in the Florida Keys.
The theater’s 30 years of “applause” represents the many people who have helped bring stories to life, form friendships and create memories on its stage.
Schaefer said having the casts already selected means performers can begin rehearsing and preparing for what promises to be a busy season.
After spending more than a year retired, Schaefer joked that returning to auditions and immediately beginning rehearsals was a bit of a shock.
“Going straight into rehearsal last night was a bit of a shock to my system,” he said.
More information about the upcoming productions, fundraising opportunities and ways to support Marathon Community Theater is available at marathontheater.org.