Lakeland Community Theatre performers, past and present, take the stage for a special 40th anniversary gala

Lakeland Community Theatre 40th anniversary gala

Current and former Lakeland Community Theatre performers take the stage together for a special 40th anniversary gala. Fox 13 photojournalist Barry Wong has the story.

LAKELAND, Fla. - It's a reunion for many former Lakeland Community Theatre performers as they prepare for a special 40th anniversary gala on Saturday. 

"We'll have a musical extravaganza," Lakeland Community Theatre Volunteer Chair Holly Parrish said. "Music from over 40 different shows."

Return to the Stage

What we know:

Much of the cast will be on stage for the gala's opening number, the iconic song "There's No Business Like Show Business." 

Among the performers were a handful of parents that were drawn back to the theatre by their children. 

"My daughter rekindled my love for the theater again. She found it on her own, and I just started taking her to rehearsals and just kind of started thinking, Man, gosh, I miss this and just never look back," Lakeland Community Theatre Performer Corey Elliott said. "Really just reconnecting with a lot of people that I have done shows with in the past, just getting that family feeling, just everybody working together to celebrate so much history."

Elliott practically lived at the theatre when he was younger. He returned in 2023. One of his fellow performers from the past has a similar story. 

"Big the Musical, my son was cast, and I was cast, so it was my first show in 21 years," Lakeland Community Theatre Performer Amie Pappas said. "It was pretty magical to get to do that with my son. Several of my friends were in the show. My nephew was in it, so it was really just wonderful to get to come back and to get experience that with them."

Dig deeper:

Whether it's a performer of the past or present, on stage or backstage, Parrish hopes to honor anyone who's been involved with the theatre for the last four decades. 

Courtesy: Lakeland Community Theatre 

"That's probably, I think, 12,000 different volunteers over those 40 years, and I wanted to make sure that every person, whether it was 40 years ago or two years ago, felt like this is still their home and this is still a place that loves what they've contributed to it, and this is a time for them to celebrate that, to celebrate we're still here, and we're still going, and we are still providing amazing theater for our community," Parrish said. 

What they're saying:

Pappas says this gala is the perfect promotion for the theatre going forward. 

"Anything that can bring attention to this theater and anything that can bring people to come fill the seats and to see what we do here is a great opportunity for me," Pappas said. 

What's next:

The gala begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 at the Historic Polk Theatre. Tickets range from $30—$75. 

For more information, click here.