For several years, Dater High School didn’t have a performance space. The 2019 Jumpstart Theatre Program graduates used a nearby school’s auditorium for their spring musicals, but the space lacked most technical elements, which some Dater students expressed an interest in learning about.
Christina Yearout, Dater theatre director and school psychologist, volunteered for many years with a community theatre group at The Arts Center at Dunham within walking distance of Dater named , Sunset Players.
Knowing the group occasionally rented out their space, Yearout put together a proposal for Dater to rent the theatre in exchange for a small deposit and 100 hours of volunteer work. Once an agreement was reached, students immediately began signing up for Saturday work sessions at the theatre.
So far, the students have helped build a set for an upcoming production, organized costumes, arranged lumber, cleaned the building, set up chairs, served as ushers, and more. Stocked with lighting and sound equipment, students have also learned about the technical elements of producing a musical.
After months of hard work, Dater students were eagerly anticipating their April production of The Little Mermaid JR, which has unfortunately been postponed in this special building.