FORT STOCKTON, TX (KWES) - The Fort Stockton Community Theatre is getting ready for a big concert this Saturday. It's all part of a fundraiser to give their theater a little makeover.
Alice Duerksen, Fort Stockton Community Theatre President, has been with them for about 35 years and she knows the theater's history a little more than anybody else.
"In '91, we got this building that we're in now, our current theater. When we first moved into it, we had no bathrooms and no air conditioner," said Duerksen. "As I like to say, 'The performance was so hot and so was the audience.'"
Their seating area has a capacity of about 50 people. Because the theater has been around for many years, it's a little worn down and they need a little bit more space which is why they're making it a little bit bigger by extending the theater to an extra 5,000 sq ft.
"Last performance we did was Alice in Wonderland and we had 27 kids," said Duerksen. "On this little stage, it was a nightmare plus trying to keep them backstage. We want to be able to increase the size of our productions."
Now they hope the planning stage will soon make construction center-stage.
The theater will also be used by people in the community who need to use the building for their services.
Brantley Hightower is the architect with Hi Works and has been working on the new design.
"It'll be a double-height theater space, raked seating, proper stage all that good stuff," said Hightower. "One of the things we liked about the space is the press-tin ceiling so we're going to preserve that but maybe change the pistachio color."
The current building will be renovated into a dining area while the performance area will be expanded to a whole bigger building. The 1.5 million dollar project is close to reaching it's goal, but with a little more fundraising, the future of Fort Stockton's performing arts will be ready for action.
"This is for our future generation," said Duerksen. "It's for the kids. We are eager to bring them in and show them the joys of fine arts. I'm not an athlete, myself But to me, that's competition and someone's got to win. In theater, everybody wins. The audience wins and the people on stage win."
First National Bank, Pecos County State Bank and West Texas State Bank are joining with the theater to bring Tenors UnLimited to Fort Stockton.
The group is a classical-crossover vocal trio from Great Britain. They have shared the stage with musical artists like Sting, Lionel Richie and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The concert will take place at the Fort Stockton High School Auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students and senior citizens.
You can also meet and greet with Tenors Un Limited on Friday, which is $50 including the concert.
Proceeds from the concert will help raise funds to renovate the Fort Stockton Community Theatre.
To buy tickets, call the Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce at (432) 336-2264. You can also have them hold your ticket for you.
For more details, click here.
