Between building a new warehouse and trying to fit in a fall production, the Franklinton Community Theatre, or FCT, is having a busy summer.

According to FCT Program Chairman Betty Gill, the group aims to stage two productions annually, “one in spring and one in fall.” However, she said that it can actually range from one to three plays in a given year, based on the size of the productions and FCT participants’ schedules.

Past productions have included “The Odd Couple,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Noah’s Animals.” The community theater’s most recent showing was a dinner theater production of “God’s Favorite” in 2009, which Gill called a “great success.”

COURTESY PHOTOS Barbara Chitwood and Debbie McNeese perform in “God’s Favorite,” in the summer of 2009, the most recent production of the Franklinton Community Theatre. According to FCT Program Chairman Betty Gill, the group aims to stage two productions annually, “one in spring and one in fall.” Phil Junkins and Larry Miller perform in a scene from “God’s Favorite.” Advertisement

“It was pretty much a sellout every night we had it, so that was a big venture for us to do a dinner theater,” Gill said.

Currently, the community theatre group is focused on moving its costumes and props to a new warehouse after dealing with a leaky rental warehouse — and the damage it caused to theater equipment — for years.

“I’m putting all our energies into this warehouse,” FCT President Rod Sabiston said. “We’ve been working on it for about four years, trying to get the plans and trying to get approval from the town.”

Sabiston did receive approval to build the FCT’s warehouse on land owned by the town of Franklinton land, and he said that his group “got a small grant” to pay for the structure.

 “[We’ve] got a contractor and we’ve got the land, and it’s just a matter of getting things started, which we should start soon,” Sabiston said.

By Sabiston’s estimate, the new storage building will be ready in six to eight weeks. After that project is finished, Sabiston said the FCT can “start producing and having plays again.”

In addition to moving to a different warehouse, Sabiston said it will be difficult to schedule a production for the fall because FCT participants and patrons will be busy with football games and other school activities. Nevertheless, Sabiston said “it’s possible” that the FCT will be able do a dinner theater production between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When choosing the plays that he will produce with the community theater, Sabiston takes into consideration the opinions of the 14-member FCT board, as well as the suggestions of his “most experienced” directors: John Denison and Bob Gault.

“When I see something that I think is appropriate for our town and our parish, I pass it by them and by the board and get a little feedback,” Sabiston said.

FCT patrons, Sabiston said, tend to turn out in higher numbers when the community theater presents lighter fare, so they “stick mostly with musicals and comedies” instead of dramas.

After a play is selected, the FCT notifies the public about the dates when auditions will be held. The community theater uses local newspapers and radio stations to publicize tryouts, according to Sabiston. Also, Gill said that the group recruits new talent through word of mouth and when people stop them “on the street” to ask about auditions.

“I’m always amazed at the talent that we have in our parish and our surrounding community,” Gill said. “It’s just incredible, and all of our productions have been really good. I’ve been to several here in the state and out of state, and we’re right in there with all the ones that we’ve seen, as far as the caliber of the production and the quality of the production.”

The FCT is a non-profit organization, according to Gill, and participation is on a volunteer basis. Sabiston said that funding for smaller productions comes from ticket sales, with the money made from one production put “back into the next play.” However, when the FCT stages a large-scale production, the members can apply for a grant with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge to cover the cost of the play. The last time the group went through the grant process for a play, Sabiston said, was for the production of the musical “Noah’s Animals” in 2007.

Sabiston, who produces the FCT’s plays and even took on the role of the main character the year the group staged “Scrooge,” said he has a “good solid crew” and that all participants do their share of the work.

“We’re very harmonious, and we don’t fuss and fight,” Sabiston said. “We just come up with the right thing to do and we do it.”

Participation is not limited to residents of Franklinton, as Sabiston would “love to have more people from Bogalusa involved.”

For more information about the Franklinton Community Theatre, contact Sabiston at 985-848-5845 or 504-453-0351.