Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Jones.
Laurie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Having been involved with vocal performance in high school and college, anything pertaining to the fine arts had always been appealing to me. I auditioned for a play at Theatre Off The Square just on a whim and landed a leading role. The rest is history, so they say. After I got involved with the quaint theatre company, my husband joined me. In the last 14 years, I have acted, have been an assistant director to several productions, a co-director of our Summer Kid’s Theatre Camp, a member of the Board of Directors, and for the last almost 5 years have been the president of the Board of Directors. Now that I have retired after a 33 year career as an educator, not only is Theatre Off The Square a huge part of my life and my husband’s life, but also the lives of our two daughters and their families.
Has it been a smooth road?
Theatre Off The Square is an entertainment venue, but also a business that must be run efficiently. The theatre operates on donations and tickets sales alone. The challenge has been to provide stellar productions on a limited budget, but we are careful with what we do and have proven to reach our goal of pleasing our patrons.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Theatre Off The Square story. Tell us more about the business.
Theatre Off The Square is a subsidiary of the Parker County Fine Arts Association, a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 corporation and is managed by a Board of Directors who donate their time, effort, and resources to benefit the theatre and the community. All of our productions require a lot of team effort – from the actors on stage and the crew behind the scenes to the folks who run “Front of House,” such as the Box Office and Concessions. It is a 100% volunteer organization.
Theatre Off The Square is the oldest running live theatre group in Weatherford. In December, the theatre will be closing its 18the Season of Shows and looking forward to the 19th season in January 2018. During the past months, audiences from 114 cities and 13 states have been entertained.
TOTS, as its loyal patrons call it, has produced some of the most popular and entertaining plays in America, including plays by premier playwrights like Neil Simon and Agatha Christie as well as popular contemporary playwrights like Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard of Tuna fame and the team Jones Hope Wooten. Several playwrights have visited the theatre, including Jones Hope Wooten who attended the theatre’s production of their play “The Red Velvet Cake War” which was the Southwest Premiere of the show. They will be visiting Theatre Off The Square again in December for the WORLD PREMIERE of their play “Doublewide, Texas Christmas.”
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Theatre venues strive to increase the public’s awareness of the art of live theatre. I feel there will always be a want and a need for this kind of knowledge. With the public’s help in financing the nonprofit theatres’ efforts, the art of live theatre will hopefully thrive.
Pricing:
- General Admission Tickets – $15
- Children under school age/Students/Seniors (60+) – $13
- Sunday Matinee – all seats – $12
- Annual Musical – all seats – $16
Contact Info:
- Address: 114 North Denton Street,
Weatherford, 76086 - Website: www.theatreoffthesquare.org
- Phone: 817-341-8687
- Email: info@theatreoffthesquare.org
- Instagram: weatherford_tots
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheatreOffTheSquare/
- Twitter: @TOTSWEATHERFORD
Image Credit:
Claire Varnon
Andra Franks
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