Rupert Holmes, on Creating a Victorian-Flavored Escape in Upstate NY
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It would be difficult to find a better example of how a little old-fashioned charm can bring success for a small-town theater, a charming and colorful local history, and an authentic slice of Southern New York life — all at the same time, with only a two-hour drive from metropolitan New York City in the shadow of the Green Mountains in northern New York State.
On this beautiful late November morning in 2013, the members of The Old South’s Green Mountain Playhouse had found their theater — the oldest continuously operating indoor venue in New York State. The members of a newly united audience, the members of a community that is always seeking the best of both worlds, sat on the front row of the green-and-white-striped seats near the stage, in the lobby of this historic theater, and watched for an hour as the actors performed one of the most entertaining plays they’ve seen in many years.
The audience was so enthusiastic, they wanted to invite the actors back for a second showing. The Old South’s theatre has operated here from the 1920s until today as a non-profit, year-round community theater group. It has featured such acclaimed playwrights as Robert Anderson, David Harrower, Jack Zipes, John Guare, William Inge, David Henry Hwang, Tom Stoppard, and many others throughout its history. Not only have they played here, but in recent years, they have been featured in the Tony Award-winning musical ‘Million Dollar Quartet,’ which has been selected for a 2015 New York City run. A number of notable actors, including John Diehl (The Sound of Music), James Earl Jones (Cabaret), Richard Kind (The Sound of Music), and Michael Keaton (The Dark Knight), have also performed here.
And now, with the help of The Old South’s Green Mountain Playhouse, a new play