Christian asks community to give theater a try

Published 3:46 pm Wednesday, October 26, 2022

By Staff Reports

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By Angela Cutrer
The Elizabethton Star
Renee Christian has lived a good life so far. But there’s more to come now that she’s made her home in East Tennessee.
And she’s betting you’ll find a home, too, with something dear to her heart: live theater.
With a major in English and a minor in theater from the Ohio Wesleyan University, Christian gained 35 years of experience in community theater with involvement with the Bucyrus Little Theater, the Delaware Theater Association, the Marion Community Theater and Lake Huron Theater.
She said directing plays and musicals for high school and junior high students brought a joy to her teaching life. She also engaged volunteers to work with OWjL — a program for gifted and talented students in junior high going into high school.
For more than 30 years, she taught English, history and theater to teenagers, a career she loved. Later she turned to being a Storytime librarian to toddlers, who also filled her heart with joy.
But then Christian and her husband Mark needed a change — they had been in their hometown in Ohio all their lives and wanted something different.
Next came the “Big Adventure” when the Christians moved to Tennessee after retiring.
“We wanted the mountains, we wanted out in the country,” she said. “And when we found this area, we realized it wasn’t that far from home — seven hours or so. And so we bought a place in the country, on a mountain.”
Their place is outside of Hampton. But that was only part of the couple’s dream. Finding the town of Elizabethton served as a catalyst to truly put down roots. “We loved the downtown area and we visited here and there, to get to know the area,” she said. “That’s how we found the Bonnie Kate.”
Christian knew she wanted to participate in additional theater opportunities, but she wasn’t sure exactly where to go to do so. With her husband, she visited Johnson City and other locales, but the Bonnie Kate Theatre in Elizabethton tickled all her proverbial boxes. “I was drawn to it,” Christian said. “And I needed something to do, a way to make new friends. Theater has been a constant in my life.”
Christian had only been in Elizabethton for a year after the move from Marion, Ohio, when she contacted the Bonnie Kate through email. In turn, Renee was contacted back by other like-minded locals who welcomed her input. This lead to the creation of “The Friends of the Bonnie Kate” entity that then launched its first-ever community theater group.
The newly-formed Bonnie Kate Community Theater (BKCT) is led by Christian, Marcia Ross and Robert Clark. Actively involved with theater products and youth theater education, Ross has been with the Bonnie Kate since 2017. Another Ohio transplant, Ross has worked in conjunction with the Elizabethton High School Drama Department, produced dinner theaters, musicals and plays at both her home church Hopwood and at the Bonnie Kate. She also organized and led summer youth theater camps at the Bonnie Kate.
Clark grew up in East Tennessee, and has a long history in education and construction. A graduate of East Tennessee State University, he has taught at both Happy Valley Elementary and Central Elementary before serving as principal at the former Southside Elementary School and Keenburg Elementary. He uses his collective experiences as he works mainly with set design.
BKCT’s very first season is being launched by the classic macabre comedy, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” by Joseph Kesselring and directed by Ross. The play will run Oct. 14-16 and 21-23, with 7:30 p.m. presentations and 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sundays.
Christian and her husband, Mark, are both in the play, but only after a significant amount of prodding on her part. “My husband would cheerfully be a hermit if I left him alone,” she said with a laugh.
A second production, the hilarious musical “Seussical,” will follow in March 2023, with Christian directing.
None of the performances would be possible, she said, without the support of the community and other state entities. “The Friends group is so diligent about raising funds to provide for entertainment for their community,” she said. “So is the Tennessee Arts Commission, which was instrumental in getting grants.
“The community itself — with Jeff Treadway, Kathy Campbell, John Huber, Clark and Ross — is dedicated to reaching our goals to emphasize the ‘community’ in community theater. I am just one of several to get this thing going.
“Our community in Elizabethton was seeking an outlet for such creativity. There was an interest in performing arts and I was floored as to how much talent is in East Tennessee, especially in Elizabethton. They would have had to travel so far to perform, but thanks to the Bonnie Kate, they don’t have to.”
Christian hopes to involve more of the local community, which she now calls family. “There are things that are different in the ‘South’ than in the ‘North,’” she said of her move from Ohio to Tennessee. “We have found the people in the community to be warm and welcoming. We invite anyone to come every second Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Bonnie Kate to see what the Friends group is doing.”
But that’s not all. She said in every community there are people who feel alone and without opportunities.
“Theater is the great equalizer,” she said. “People who might not fit in anywhere else might just fit in here. It’s magical to be able to suspend reality for a little while, while also building bonds and friendships.”
Christian said she hopes the future continues to be geared toward entertainment with the addition of educational opportunities as well. She’s interested in providing workshops for teens, especially since not everyone can sparkle on the athletic field.
“Marcia [Ross] and I have spent a lot of time with children and we both feel it’s important for youth to become involved,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to give a person who may not be not athletic a way to shine.”
Renee asks the community to give the Bonnie Kate at least one chance to dazzle them: “Come together and experience live theater,” she said of the October play. “There is nothing like a dark theater while watching a live performance of actors making magic in the light. Watch as they make dry old bones come to life before your very eyes.
“Go to dinner and then come see the show. Support local businesses that way and come see what we’ve done [as well]. Become a part of it and get excited about how far we can go.”
The Bonnie Kate Theater is located at 115 South Sycamore St., Elizabethton. Call 423-895-1762 or visit bonniekate.org for more information.

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