“Crystal Clear”… Excitement

Excited audiences have laughed, cried, and tapped their toes for over twenty five years at the most recent incarnation of The Crystal Theatre in Gonzales, Texas. And if the entertainment of the last year is any indication, the best is yet to come for the Crystal. The entertainment at the Crystal is even more ambitious, more inspiring, and more exciting than ever before.

I am personally excited about the opportunity to write this brand new Crystal Theatre column.

After 20 plus years of writing articles and press releases, and newsletters and membership letters for the Crystal, it is high time to write something new and exciting. That something new and exciting is going to be a regular column about the happenings at the Crystal Theatre. I will try and keep these Crystal Clear Columns short and informative, and exciting. I want to make sure that everyone always knows what fabulous entertainment is on stage at the Crystal.

The next exciting entertainment at The Crystal will be one of the finest pieces of theatre anyone has ever seen, anywhere. In collaboration with the professional theatrical troupe, “Classic Theatre” of San Antonio, The Crystal will host four performances of. The Glass Menagerie.

Audiences will remember the show’s director, Allan Ross, as Tevye in The Crystal’s spring production of Fiddler on the Roof. Ross, a long-time theatre educator, actor and director, and one of the founders of the newly incorporated group, says he has rarely been more excited about a production and is thrilled for the opportunity to bring The Glass Menagerie to the Crystal stage. Performances are slated Oct 30, 31 and Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. One matinee is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov 2nd.

Tickets for The Glass Menagerie go on sale at the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce Oct. 15. Stop by the Chamber office in the historic Jail Museum at 414 Saint Lawrence, or call 830-672-6532 for tickets. Tickets can also be purchased online at crystal-theatre.com through our pay pal service. With the ticket price of only $18 and a limited number of performances, you can bet the show will sell out quickly. A word to wise, get your tickets early for this one. You really don’t want to miss it.

If having a Halloween performance at The Crystal to attend as an alternative to trick or treating isn’t exciting enough, the Crystal is hosting their first “First Friday” reception immediately following the show. I promise that costumes are not required, except for the actors! “First Fridays” are designed to encourage Crystal members and audiences to meet and mingle with the performers and the Crystal directors and volunteers. First Fridays receptions at the Crystal are certainly something new and very exciting.

Since the exciting gala reopening of The Crystal last year with the wildly popular production run of “Greater Tuna,” the stage has rarely been dark at the Crystal. The theatre has been filled to overflowing with exciting activity…children’s theatre workshops both summers, Country Music Shows every other month, the incredible production of “Fiddler on the Roof” this spring, and most recently, The Heart of Texas Chorus performances during “Come and Take It.”

If you have missed any of the excitement, you have really missed something exciting. Luckily, the ambitious entertainment plans for the rest of the 2008 -2009 season show no signs of slowing down. It is a rare gift, and yes, it is exciting… to be part of bringing this caliber of entertainment to the Crystal and to our area.

One more exciting thing (I promised to keep this short) is the new Crystal Theatre website. You can keep up with what is going on at the Crystal by simply checking our website at www.crystal-theatre.com whenever you please, any hour of the day or night. You can buy tickets, you can volunteer, you can donate, and you can email your questions and comments—all from our website, www.crystal-theatre.com.

I am excited that our new website and this new column, “Crystal Clear,” will give patrons an insight into the planning and preparation that goes into supporting exceptional live theatre. And I am excited about the prospect of including stories from our patrons about the Crystal in its early days, questions about the Crystal today and ideas about programming they would like to see on our stage. Everything at the Crystal is pretty exciting right now, and I am excited to hear from you. Email me directly at barbara@crystal-theatre.com