Celebrating two years of success, Town Square Playhouse continues to bring imaginative and entertaining productions to Fayetteville and the surrounding area.
Town Square Playhouse owner and artistic director Fracena Byrd has had a great love for Fayetteville and the surrounding area since moving here 13 years ago. She has always had a dream of bringing local, on-stage plays, dance and other productions to the area and, with the success of her Town Square Playhouse, it seems the Fayetteville area has had the same love for her and her live, on-stage productions.
Town Square Playhouse offers everything from live theatre youth educational programs, a dance studio and a new adult tap dance class to a musical theater competition team (which received national notoriety by taking second at the recent Access Broadway competition). The theater has already gained notoriety as it approaches its second anniversary in September.
Byrd said Fayetteville and the surrounding communities have “welcomed us with open arms. We literally have hundreds of people involved in our programs, whether it be working behind the scenes or involved in the different programs,” she said.
Byrd also credits the work of her set designer Sarah Mainey for her skills in this important element to the performing arts, calling her work exciting and imaginative.
Another important element in setting the stage for the theater’s growth and recognition, both in Georgia and nationwide, is its six member girls’ dance competition team.
Having moved to Fayetteville from Florida, Alison Graham, the director of the competitive dance team, brought more than 20 years of experience in this element of youth dance productions.
“I ended up doing a musical with Francena at the theater and pitched the idea of a competition dance team to her and she was all for it,” Graham said.
After preliminary tryouts, six girls were selected to the competition team.
“We took second place because the girls are fantastic, their parents are super supportive and Fracena has been great in her support as well,” Graham said.
Approaching another competition, Graham said she has some specific goals for the girls as they prepare to compete again.
“I want the girls to understand the process, get past their nervousness,” she said. “I want these girls to actually show what they are capable of accomplishing.”
In addition to showcasing local talent the theater has produced, Fracena also has a goal of including in the theater’s programs a number of one-night shows featuring talent coming in from outside the area.
The theater’s past success has already guided Byrd to set goals for the entertainment group as it also looks to expand its competition team to include another age group as well as looking to produce additional shows geared toward older audiences.
“Our Little Shop of Horrors production did so well, and we want to build on that older audience appeal,” Byrd said.
Although she loves all aspects of the theater, Byrd said she is now focused on directing and producing.
“One element that I will always love is opening night when all the pieces somehow come together and I can sit back and watch my actors and performers do their thing,” she said.
For more information and tickets, visit its websitetownsquareplayhouse.com.
by Bill Baldowski