Life, light return to outdoor theater

After seven years in the dark, lights and the curtain finally came up again at the Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre, for Studio 1’s production of “Shakespeare By Moonlight.”

For folks like Hayden Wilson, whose family founded the theatre, it couldn’t have come soon enough.

“It is a good feeling to see it back open. It was so sad to see it fall apart, but it’s starting to look great now,” Wilson said.

Angelica Sumner, whose grandfather wrote “Pathway to Freedom,” a production that ran at the theater from the mid-’90s until the theater closed seven years ago, now one of the actors in this production.

“Back in 2013 I was in the show, and it was the last time my grandfather saw it before he passed,” she said. “I moved away for a while, but I always kept an eye on what was happening out here, hoping to see it come back from how far it had fallen. The amount of love and hard work that it took to make this all happen is overwhelming. I think that my grandpa would be so proud.”

Debbie Williams, who is president of the Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre board and os the treasurer for Studio 1, has been a part of the revitalizing of the property since the beginning. Williams and her son volunteered at the theater from 2002 — 20015, before it went into disrepair.

“There has been a lot of hard work, put in by so many people. It has been a slow process, but it is great to see the theater coming back to life after all these years. Seeing an audience out here for the first time in so long is just amazing,” she said.

The production, which runs through Saturday night, July 29, is collection of Shakespeare’s sonnets and excerpts from his plays, including “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The evening of Shakespeare underneath the trees began with words from “Sonnet 23,” “As an unperfect actor upon the stage …,” spoken by Heather Fisher.

Max and Sam McDonald, twin actors, have been a part of Studio 1 for years and are in a number of the evening’s scenes. Max McDonald said, “The theater opening back up after all of these years is just amazing, and I am so glad to be a part of it.”

The show ended with an ensemble performance of an excerpt from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and then the final bow in front of a crowd of nearly 100.

Arlie Anderson and his mother attended the opening night performance and said they both enjoyed the experience. Arlie Anderson said, “This was so much fun. I hope that more people will come out and support the theater. It’s a neat place, and many communities don’t have anything like this. It shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

“Shakespeare By Moonlight” is at 7:30 p.m. nightly through July 29 at Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre, 301 Drama Road. Tickets are $14 and $17.