A Love Letter to My First Theater

How It All Began

I “discovered” the Temple Theater shortly after we moved to North Carolina. To say I was a fish out of water was an understatement. Walking through the tiny downtown, I was not enthused about the change. I was experiencing a deep culture shock. I hadn’t gone through a full year of school in this new place, it was hot and sticky, and I didn’t want to go shopping. Then we ran into a new friend my mom had made at church. They were starting a new group for kids in the theater. This theater, right here, with paper still over the windows and a brand-new marquee. Her daughter was there, would I like to join them?

Yes, please. Anything but shopping.

The walls were freshly painted. So was the stage. I could smell it. Giant carpet rolls were against the house right wall, and because there were no seats, carpets, or drapes installed yet, everything echoed off the concrete floor. I thought it was so very elegant. Fancy plaster arch, ceiling tiles, gold trim, and wall sconces. We sat, a group of junior high and high school girls Martha, one of the seniors, had assembled as her Gold Award project. The woman in charge was, I would soon learn, the Artistic Director of this new theater. She was funny, she was smart, she was welcoming, and I felt something I had not felt since we moved into town: At home.

The Trip Back

Recently (last week) I took a trip back east to visit my parents. My parents had long since moved away from the town where I went to high school, but they still have friends there. When my mom suggested her best friend might come to see us while we were in state, I made a different suggestion. Why don’t we take the two-hour drive to the Piedmont and visit them? I could take my now grown son to see the town where I went to high school. Better yet, and more important to me, I could take my son to the theater where I spent all of my time.

A Friday Afternoon Surprise

I did not make an appointment, it was a Friday afternoon. I assumed the box office would be available at least, and really all I wanted to do was take a peek. If it was closed, that would be okay.

We found a place to park, way harder than I thought it would be, and walked toward the front of the theater. Hard to find parking because, lo and behold, a Friday afternoon matinee! So we popped into the lobby. A little before two, the seats were full and the ushers explained that the kids’ program was having their performance. Being the 4th of July weekend, they were doing two Friday shows instead of a Friday/Saturday show. It was short, only an hour long, and I could get tickets right over at the box office.

I looked at my son, who said, “Mom, if it was anything other than High School Musical, I would happily sit here with you for an hour,” so I thanked them and we headed to the ice cream shop (completely unchanged, by the way) down the street to meet the rest of the family and friends.

Stepping Back in Time

After ice cream, though, I asked my son if he would mind swinging back by the theater. I really wanted to see if I could get back inside for a longer look. So we went back to the lobby and stepped up to the box office window. I introduced myself to the manager, who was about to leave for lunch, and he graciously agreed to let me go up to the balcony.

I am genuinely surprised by how emotional I was stepping back into that theater. There have been many updates: better lighting equipment, a stage extension on stage left, new flooring, different seats. It has been through two remodels since it was first restored. But so much felt the same. Intimate space, cozy house. I pointed out a few of my favorite things to my son. Those box booms are still a beast to get to. The backstage “shop” is really just a hallway. That stage extension was temporary before. I think Wally built it for Christmas Carol?

I thanked Chris for letting us intrude on his lunch break. By this time, we had gone from annoying tourists to people who at least spoke the same language he did, and he asked if we would like to meet the current Artistic Director. We went to the offices next door. He explained that the old offices were now a full costume shop. (Amazing!) We sat down and had a longer conversation with Peggy about her twenty-year tenure as the Artistic Director of the theater, the evolution of the children’s theater program, the previous directors who we both knew and had worked with, and the ever-present and universal challenges of funding the arts.

The Temple Theater became my second home from the day I stepped in the door to the last summer production before I headed off to college. It started me on the path that would become my career. I met lifelong friends in that theater, most of them fellow fish out of water, but thanks in large part to that program, we became fish with confidence. Fish who could take on any waters we decided to swim in. And to know that program is still there for kids is incredibly gratifying. It brings me joy and gives me hope. It’s different now, but it’s still welcoming for the next generation of kids who need a place to feel at home.

Your Turn

What’s your theater origin story? Reach out, share, maybe hit up your first theater’s homepage and tell them they mattered to you. And maybe go see a show this weekend and remember how it felt when you discovered theater for the first time.