Nonpro t
BY KAREN CHANEY
Zachary Cantrell, left, is the artistic director of Lewisville Playhouse and Pat Cannon is the board president.
KAREN CHANEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Lewisville Playhouse has a green room where performers get ready for shows.
Lewisville Playhouse puts on a summer musical such as “Little Shop of Horrors,” which was performed earlier this year.
COURTESY LEWISVILLE PLAYHOUSE
KAREN CHANEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Lewisville Playhouse appeals to patrons, performers Housed in the oldest building in Lewisville, circa 1885, Lewisville Playhouse has hosted hundreds of
the agreements with the publishers.” What’s happening
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performances during its 40 theatrical seasons. The shows, starring residents of Lewisville and surrounding communities, go on as the organi- zation works on the 41st season featuring ve performances held in 2024 and 2025. The backstory Greater Lewisville Community Theatre was established as a nonpro t organization in 1983. In 1997, the nonpro t purchased the theater space in Old Town Lewisville to become the rst and still the only cultural arts organization with a per- manent home in the city. In 2022, the name was changed to Lewisville Playhouse. Lewisville Playhouse board president Pat Can- non said he got involved with the nonpro t about 30 years ago as a theater dad when his daughter, a company performer, asked Cannon to help build sets. Cannon agreed to help and has been involved ever since then. “Back in the early days, the people who were most notable in the growth of this program were Bill and Nancy Thorne. They are really the heart of what this theater became,” Cannon said. “Nancy [is] still very involved ... she’s the one who makes
Each year the company puts on ve shows. The shows remaining in the 2024-25 season include:
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• “Forever Plaid”: December 6-22 • “Tigers Be Still”: February 7-23 • “Uncle Vanya”: April 4-20 • “Ragtime”: June 12-29
160 W. Main St., Lewisville www.lewisvilleplayhouse.org
The organization also hosts a summer camp for children annually, which concludes with a musical performance. The details The nonpro t pays directors, designers and performers. Audition notices are posted on websites such as Backstage as well as on social media. “We have been trying to put our auditions out earlier, which is a trend in DFW, because people want to have something to work on. That’s security for them and us,” Artistic Director Zachary Cantrell said. “We try to put on shows that have large casts to give as many opportunities as we can for people to really practice their craft.” One of Cantrell’s responsibilities as the artistic
director is heading the play selection committee. “We have a master list of all of the shows that each of us is excited about, which is a lot, but that’s what you need,” Cantrell said. Quote of note “I think that it is putting on shows you want your patrons to be excited about but I also think the work is compelling and challenging to design- ers and performers who come in,” Cantrell said regarding the secret to the theater’s longevity. “... When we choose our season, I want to choose plays that if I saw an audition notice for it, I would think to myself, ‘I really want to do that.’”
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LEWISVILLE COPPELL EDITION
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