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Friends return as Theatre Geeks
Published 10:56am Thursday, March 21, 2013When a group of eight friends and local theater buffs decided to make it official and become an organized group, the name Theatre Geeks seemed like an easy choice.
“I’ve been calling us that for over a year,” said group member Laura Johnson.
The Theatre Geeks name started as a trivia name for the group, which can usually be found testing its knowledge at Mabel Murphy’s Thursday nights. Between the eight actors, who will put on “Money to Burn” at A Center for the Arts this weekend, they have more than 250 plays under their belts.
They all met each other during theater productions.
“First off, we’re all friends, and we’ve been friends,” Johnson said.
The play this weekend will be the first time the Theatre Geeks have performed as an organized group. Johnson wrote “Money to Burn” and was part of its performance at A Center for the Arts back in 1999.
After hearing a few weeks ago that another play for this weekend at the Center fell through, Johnson called and asked to use the space. Thus, Theatre Geeks became a reality.
“This gave us a good excuse to organize it,” Johnson said. “I would like it to be a catalyst for more people to say, ‘I want to join this.’”
With just the eight friends on board right now, they’re all acting as directors, technical crew, set designers and actors, “which is a really cool thing because we critique each other,” Johnson said.
Rick Schara, a newer member of the group, has done theater his whole life. He said he likes the idea of having a group like the Theatre Geeks because if someone has a theatrical idea, plenty of others are right there to help.
“You call on people you know,” Schara said. “It’s what makes theater fun. I think it gives you an outlet for your creativity.”
Randy King, along with Johnson and Jane Geisinger, was in “Money to Burn” in 1999. King said he enjoys the camaraderie of the group and that it’s not a typical community theater.
“We’re all so diverse,” King said. “That’s our bond is our love of theater.”
Besides putting on shows, the Theatre Geeks do a lot together like have bonfires, parties, spend holidays together, and of course, play trivia.
The Theatre Geeks hope to look at other venues in the future and possibly things like benefits or fundraisers. Some of them have even worked on webisodes for the past few months with ECTOFi Productions. The group also welcomes the prospect of new members, in a goal to see local theater thrive and support local talent.
“I think it’s a real encouraging group,” Johnson said. “There’s very little ego that comes into play.”
Anyone interested in joining the Theatre Geeks should contact Johnson at zolajohnson@yahoo.com.
