RSS 2.0 Feed
Texas Hill Country , Cover Stories, Wimberley, Texas, Attractions, Events, Things To Do
The Emily Ann Theater
The Emily Ann Theater is a wonderful community gathering place with an inspiring story behind it.
The EmilyAnn Theatre is one of my favorite Hill Country places. For one thing, its story is a most compelling one to me as a father; Emily Ann Rolling was a talented young lady who lost her life in a car accident in 1996. Because of her interest in theater (besides acting, Emily Ann had won awards for costume design), her parents founded a non-profit theater to honor her memory. Over the last decade, the theater has grown into an amazing community project, bringing hundreds of volunteers together for worthwhile causes and, sometimes, for good, old-fashioned fun.
I’ve had occasion to visit the EmilyAnn Theatre several times: I was there for the dedication of the hilltop Veterans Memorial Plaza (it was a solemn but inspirational experience, as each branch of the armed services raised its flag, and the band played patriotic music). I was there at Christmas time for the Trail of Lights, and I’ve been there twice for Butterfly Day. But I knew there was a reason they called it a “Theatre,” so finally I attended a production of "Fiddler on the Roof."
It was great! Before the main event got started, there was a brief fashion show; relatives of the famous ballroom dancer, Elsa Barton, modeled gowns that she had worn during her travels across the United States and Europe. Then the forty-plus actors got to work, dramatizing the story of a poor Jewish village in Czarist Russia. Carl Galante, whom I’ve since been privileged to meet, starred as Tevye, the milkman, whose wife and five daughters challenge the “tradition” that organizes his life. He and all the others did a wonderful job; the whole experience was magical!
The Trail of Lights is open the whole month of December; the 2011 season begins in February with weekend performances of "Why do Fools Fall in Love?" The 13th annual Butterfly Festival will be held April 16. The theatrical season continues with periodic productions from April to November next year.
