For the majority of last year and even parts of this year, local theaters all over have seen shows canceled due to the pandemic.
Lately, however, those theaters, including the Permian Playhouse in Odessa, have returned to the stage.
The Permian Playhouse will celebrate the return to productions with its upcoming show “All Together Now.”
The performances will take place at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Permian Playhouse.
While Permian Playhouse has had a few productions this year, this will be the first large event since the pandemic.
The musical revue will feature a wide selection of songs from Broadway shows including Annie, Rent, Les Miserables, Hairspray, Waitress and more, performed by members of the community.
“It’s featuring a lot of local talent like some local students and some really familiar faces to the community as well as some new faces and basically, it is a song cycle and concert of some of the greatest hits of musical theater.”
The show will be directed by Odessans Shari Riley and Heather Valenzuela and will be hosted by Judge Sara Kate Billingsley, Gaven Norris and Catherine Daniels.
“They’re well-known faces in the community,” Windham said. “Sarah Kate and Katherine have been involved in theater in the past. Katherine is a past president and both are well known faces who are talented and bring a lot of excitement and joy to the stage.”
Permian Playhouse has recently had its performance of Wait Until Dark last month and will be doing It’s a Wonderful Life next month.
“We are celebrating that we’re all together in one place and that we’re bringing back community theater and make it vibrant like it was before the shutdown,” Valenzuela said.
Valenzuela said that there has been a lot of excitement from rehearsals this week in preparation for the shows.
“I think (Monday night) at rehearsal, you could feel it,” Valenzuela said. “Everyone was so glad to be back together and happy to be back to making music and glad to be back to being creative again. I think anything that we can do to really focus on what we are as a community after what we’ve been through is essential. All of us at rehearsal kept commenting that we were so glad to be back together. We have a different attitude about it. You take it for granted (but) now we’re all grateful to be back together and appreciate it more.”
The cast includes Scott Windham, Dawn Weaks, Sara Lillestol, Heidi Jeffery-Taylor, Roselyn Miller, Davis Clarke, Lily Windham, Anna Windham, Hope Joyce, Albert Hall, Oscar Corral, Sam Weaks, Parker LeRoy, Damian Christian, Trey Rolston, Sarai Flores, Micaela Grenier and Albert Hall.
“We have some of our well known students like Sam Weaks, Lily Windham, Anna Windham, Hope Windham and some of the kids that have been seen in multiple shows from Annie to Schoolhouse Rock,” Scott said. “A lot of shows that have been on the stage for the last five or six years, those people will be returning.”
After having to shut down for over 12 months because of the pandemic, Scott says it means a lot to see the Permian Playhouse and other local theaters, return to the stage.
“It means, after having to shut our doors for 18 months and not be able to have people in the theater, this is a celebration of the arts,” Scott said. “It’s a celebration of the future of the theater and what has been accomplished and what needs to be accomplished. It’s going to be an entertaining evening.”
Tickets can be purchased at tinyurl.com/nafubhpd.
“I think this is a great opportunity for people to come out and enjoy the musical talents that we have out here in West Texas and the local theater in our community,” Scott said.
If you go
- What: Permian Playhouse presents: All Together Now.
- When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- Where: Permian Playhouse, 310 W. 42nd St.
- Where to buy tickets: tinyurl.com/nafubhpd
