Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
EP# 242: Behind the Curtain with Samantha Gray: Theatre Bristol's 60-Year Journey
What makes Samantha Gray with Theatre Bristol a good neighbor?
Step behind the curtain as we explore the remarkable 60-year history of Theatre Bristol with Executive Director Samantha Gray. From its humble beginnings in the home kindergarten of a Juilliard-educated visionary to its current status as a thriving community institution with three performance venues, Theater Bristol has brought the magic of live performance to the Tri-Cities for six decades.
Gray reveals the beautiful misconception that surrounds their productions: those incredible performers you see on stage aren't imported professionals—they're your talented neighbors who've chosen community over Broadway. This volunteer-powered organization has created a space where anyone can participate in creating theatrical magic, whether they're building sets, designing costumes, or stepping onto the stage for the very first time. Their guiding philosophy? "If you have skills, bring them. If you don't, we'll teach you."
The conversation touches on the theater's commitment to accessibility through affordable ticket prices, their resilience during the pandemic when they were "among the first to shut down and the last to reopen," and their exciting expansion with the recent acquisition of the 500-seat Cameo Theater. But beyond the buildings and productions, what truly shines through is the theater's mission to create a place for everyone. As Gray puts it, "There is a place for you here," whether you're 7 or 75, experienced or brand new to theater. Want to be part of this extraordinary community tradition? Visit theaterbristol.org to discover how you can experience the transformative power of live theater—as an audience member, volunteer, donor, or perhaps even making your stage debut in their next production.
To learn more about Theatre Bristol go to:
Theatre Bristol
(423) 212-3625
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2:Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of the Tri-Cities. So I am really excited today to have a very special guest in the studio with us and super excited to learn all about her and what she does. And I'm sure you will be too, because today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, ms Samantha Gray of Theatre Bristol. Samantha, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Well, we're thrilled to have you and I've been very fortunate to do podcasts with a lot of theaters in the region, and so I'm thrilled to finally get you on the show. You've been highly recommended by a lot of people so, like I said, I'm excited, and I'm sure our listeners are too, so why don't you kick us off by telling us about what you do?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm the executive director of Theater Bristol and we're a non-profit community theater and this year we're celebrating 60 years and we put on plays and musicals and have classes and summer camps and just try to produce some really great entertainment and even educational opportunities.
Speaker 2:Very good, very good and 60 years huh.
Speaker 3:Yes, that's not a small thing when it's not easy to be a community theater, when you really depend on volunteers and grants. And we really try to make sure that our tickets are really affordable, because part of our mission is to bring productions to the community. So, as such, when we price our tickets, the price of a ticket doesn't actually cover the cost of a production so to make it to 60 years and um.
Speaker 3:You know all the challenges you can have. Um and like a lot of non-profit theaters, we're mostly supported by volunteers, so we depend on people saying hey, this is how I'd like to spend my time acting in a show or um, building a set or making costumes, or directing or stage managing. All those people are volunteers. So we, um we always like to say if you have skills, bring them.
Speaker 2:If you don't, we'll teach you we'll teach you there you go, yeah, so we're a place teaching a lot of people as well. Awesome, and how long have you been with the theater?
Speaker 3:I've been involved for kind of as a community member since my oldest daughter was five years old, so that's 22 years ago and my involvement began as a mom helping out wrangling backstage which is when you take care of the children backstage until it's their turn to go on, or just vacuuming or helping out cleanup or whatever and so my daughter and my two sons did shows over the years, and then later my husband too, and then I went on the board in 2012, I believe and became the board president. And then you know, I think I should back up about to say is that I wrote a book. I wrote two books about the theater the founding. It was founded by Kathy DiCaterina, and she's an amazing story in and of herself. She is from Bristol, but she attended Juilliard and while she was in New York she sang in clubs and, you know, hung out with the ilks of like Tony Bennett and folks like that, and she met her husband, frank DiCaterina, and they married and moved back to Bristol and Kathy started this kindergarten. There weren't really kindergartens at the time.
Speaker 3:She started in her home and then started putting on plays and the community said, hey, I want what you're doing for your child, for my children and that's what kind of began the Bristol Children's Theatre, which then became Theatre Bristol later on. So I wrote a book about, or two books, a book for adults and one for children and we published that in 2009. So that was kind of along the path there to then. Later I became the executive director. So that's my involvement is producing shows and doing whatever it takes, whether it's cutting styrofoam or painting something or taking the trash out. It's you know, it's all encompassing. So that's kind of my story, with a little with more important story, which is Kathy DiCaterina and all she's done to make this theater possible for our community. So visionary and and brilliant.
Speaker 3:So wow, so you wear a lot of hats as executive director I think, like a lot of non-profits, that's what happens, right, you know you write the grants, you do the marketing, all the things that have. Whatever has to be done, you do it you gotta do it, you gotta yeah well, what are some myths or misconceptions in the theater business?
Speaker 3:oh, wow, um. One is that we make a lot of money off tickets, which that's not how that works. A fun misconception is that we did Les Mis and we've done Music man, and we've had people say, oh, who are those ringers that you've paid to come in? Who are those professionals you paid to come in and they're not? Not, and that's what's really cool is they are talented people from our very community who maybe made a choice to not pursue broadway, but they said you know, I'm going to raise my family here, or, um, you know, this is not the kind of lifestyle I want, and I want to live here and do community theater, and so we try to provide a quality experience for everyone involved. But no, they're not paid and this is what they love to do. So that's a misconception too. And we get personally at Theater Bristol. We get one, which is so, and there's good reason for it.
Speaker 3:But a lot of people think we are the Paramount, and so Paramount is a downtown theater venue and it's been here for 94 years this year and we love the Paramount it's. It was closed down and then in the 80s and then reopened in the 90s, and a lot of that was because it was almost going to be a parking lot and Kathy DeCaterina it was given to her and it needed work and needed a couple million dollars worth of work. But she raised the first million with carl moore and some others. And then, you know, mary beth renero came along and they raised the other million and they got the paramount restored. So we that's our home stage, that's our main stage um, and we performed there and um. Now we do just two shows a the year. There were two big ones and but people get us confused but we turned that over to a foundation after receiving the Paramount. So that's one thing, that another misconception. We're not the same. So people say, oh, I donated already Well to the Paramount, but not to us, Not to you.
Speaker 2:That's very important. Yeah Well, who are your target? The people you're trying to reach, your target customers.
Speaker 3:Oh, for us it's everyone and we have something for every age. We have a show called Playtime in the Art Space. That's for parents and the littlest ones, like zero to five, where we teach kind of what the experience of theater is like, and it's a show just for them. It's really short, it's really cute, and the kids get on stage after and they take a bow. There's a lot more to it. But we also have a youth program, our youth service board. We have young people involved in that, um, ages 13 and up, and they learn all kinds of skills and of course, every show we have ages. We've had from 5 to 95 in a show, wow. So right now we're doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I think it goes from seven to 65 is the age range in that show right now and that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Wow and how do you market your shows?
Speaker 3:We advertise on social media, right? So we do all the ways that don't cost as much. Anytime somebody asks us to do a podcast or an interview, we say yes, please, thank you, so, thank you. And we we do posters and we have marquees and we have a marquee. So we have not only do we perform at the Paramount, but we have the Artspace Stage, which is our 100 seat black box theater, and we have a marquee out there. And then we have like groups, like Modern Designs, we do T-shirts and billboards and things like that, and then we have another marquee down the street where we just in February purchased the cameo theater. So we have three performance venues and we'll also do parks and senior centers and you know other locations. As it works out, but yeah, we just purchased the 500 plus seat cameo theater and just completed two shows there and are very excited to have it.
Speaker 2:Wow, Wow. Have you ever you said you take the opportunity to be on podcasts you ever thought about doing your own podcast?
Speaker 3:I have not.
Speaker 2:Well, you should give us some thought. You sound like a professional.
Speaker 3:Nobody's ever asked me that before.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, well well, we'll talk later um outside of work. What do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3:oh, I am one of those terrible people to ask that if you asked my husband he would say she works. That's what she does outside of work. Yeah, theater is kind of my work and my hobby but but I do love to read and I'll always have a few books on my, you know, listening to on audio. I play the piano and my husband's a pastor and so we have a church and that's really important to us. And going to see my kids' shows, and not just my kids' shows but other kids' shows that involve in the theater.
Speaker 2:Very cool Time with family. Always the right answer for sure. Kids shows, and not just my kids shows, but other kids shows that involved in the theater very cool time with family, always the right answer, for sure, yes, oh yeah, that's the problem. Yep, absolutely so. Let's switch gears for just a second, and this is either professionally or or personally. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you've overcome and how it made you stronger in the end? Anything come to mind?
Speaker 3:yeah, I don't know, maybe everyone talks about this, but, um, going through the pandemic was very frightening and, um, as a theater, we were among the first to shut down and among the last to open back up. Wow, and it was very hard to kind of keep us going through that time, and I also I teach parenting classes and so it's something that I'm passionate about, and during that time, I was spending a lot of time kind of supporting and helping parents who were now home with their kids all day, and they were struggling with cooperation and peacefulness in their homes, so that I should have probably mentioned that is what I do as my hobby, because that's my big passion is parenting education, and I've been doing that for more than 20 years. But that the pandemic was a rough one, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:But, we overcame it, because here we are, 60 years and we've done it.
Speaker 2:Here you are. Here you are very successful. So if, samantha, if you could think of one thing that you would like our listeners to remember about you and theater Bristol, what would that be?
Speaker 3:That there is a place for you here, whether it's seeing a show or helping to share about our shows, or coming in and helping with sets or props or costumes, or ushering or concessions or acting on stage even for the very first time. Someone this morning said to me they were afraid to do it because they have stage fright, and I said that's what we do. Our process is something I trust so much that that's not something to worry about. We prepare people and there's a place for everyone. It really, really there is, and maybe some people it's being a sponsor or being a donor or advertising in the program. There's a way to support your community theater, because it really is community.
Speaker 2:Very good thing to remember. And if any of our listeners are interested in potentially acting in a play or volunteering or helping in some way, how can they learn more?
Speaker 3:They can go to theaterbristolorg and all the information is there Volunteer forms, audition forms. The season we're in right now we have a great season with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Mockingbird Sings and the Odd Couple and Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Paramount. Charlie will be at the Paramount season with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Mockingbird Sings and the Odd Couple and Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Paramount, and Charlie will be at the Paramount. And then, um, yes, virginia, there's a Santa Claus and Schoolhouse Rock Live and Summer Camp in June.
Speaker 3:all of that registration and forms to fill out are all online awesome, awesome, very good theaterbristolorg, and if people have just yeah theaterristolorg and if people have just, yeah, theaterbristolorg and some people if they just have a little bit of time, but they'd say, like I have today, I'd like to help. We do work days, most every Saturday cleaning, organizing, sorting. We're right on State Street, at 512 State Street, and our theater is at 506. And then, of course, 703 is the cameo, and then of course, 703 is the cameo, but we have thousands and thousands of square feet of workshops. We have wood shop, a scene shop, paint shop, costume shop and we need lots of help and wardrobe, lots of help keeping, keeping it all organized, and it's a huge, huge space. So we love help, even if it's just temporary.
Speaker 2:All right, Very good to know. Well, listeners, you heard it. Even if you just have a little time, you can donate. You can, you can contribute.
Speaker 3:Well, we have families, everyone. It's great.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome. Well, samantha, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to chat with us and tell us all about theater bristol and wish you and your family and theater bristol all the best moving forward great.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:I really appreciate it well, thank you, and maybe we can have you back sometime when you got a big event coming up.
Speaker 1:Sounds good, all right, thanks, so much, smith thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-719-5873. Thank you.