Becoming The Seeing Place.
Please watch this important video announcement.
If you prefer to read, scroll down.
Legacy Theater Company's Act One began in the summer of 2011 when a small group of friends wrote and performed an improv play called The Higgins' Train to Georgia. This play launched Legacy, and it has been quite a journey since.
Act One continued from 2011-2012 as we searched for our "setting" in Jacksonville, N.C. First, we rented out a church, then a fellowship hall on Henderson Drive, and then a warehouse-style building on Doris Avenue. In those years, we performed five mainstage productions and introduced the young people in our community to our School of the Arts program, where they performed three plays and one musical!
Finally, we settled into our first home, a 100-seat black-box-style theater at 2442 Onslow Drive, Jacksonville, NC.
In 2013, we opened Onslow Drive and introduced our community to many characters and stories.
Our volunteer actors, singers, technicians, and front-of-house staff performed a slew of Mainstage productions. We featured iconic shows like A Christmas Carol, The Odd Couple, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Steel Magnolias, fan-favorite musicals like Godspell and Beauty and the Beast, and original shows and musicals written by our directors like One Day More, Murder in Bohemia, The Hope Table, and Backstage: The Musical.
Our School of the Arts program catered to students aged 8-18 and offered over 30 different plays, concerts, and musicals during our time at 2442 Onslow Drive. Our summer camp programs featured musicals such as Godspell, Mary Poppins, You're A Good Man, and Charlie Brown, bringing joy, laughter, friendship, and music to our students. Our students performed classic stories like The Secret Garden, Little Women, and Tales from Greek Mythology during the school year. Additionally, our students wrote their own plays and participated in improvisational performances.
In 2014, we introduced our audiences to our Legacy Concert Series. Over the years, we performed ten concerts in our little black-box theater on Onslow Drive. Our audiences had the opportunity to dress in costume as we rocked out to music from the '50s in Rocking Around the Clock and relived the glory days of the 1980s in Back to the '80s. Our Christmas Concerts opened the door to the Christmas season as we gathered 'round and celebrated family, faith, and the season that makes all things merry and bright.
This was our Act One.
For me, it was a time of learning, of educating our community on the gifts and blessings of live theater and music, and of discovery.
Both actors and the audience need a break during a performance—an intermission provides this. The audience can use this time to anticipate the upcoming acts, while the actors can use it to change costumes, refresh their lines, prepare mentally, and, most importantly, rest for the upcoming acts.
In December 2017, Legacy Theater Company dimmed the lights and headed into what I call our "Intermission." I never thought Legacy was going to reemerge. But in 2021, God called Steven and me back, and Legacy re-opened its doors for Act Two.
From 2021 to spring 2024, we performed six concerts, six MainStage Plays, four MainStage Musicals, and ten School of the Arts programs. Our audiences came back to support us, and we have an incredible group of talented volunteers who shine on our stage. We have built a community.
Act Two was going smoothly, but Steven and I felt closed in. We needed space to breathe, which has come in the form of a name change and a change to our mission.
Legacy Theater Company will dim the lights once more as we transition our name and mission.
As of May 1, 2024, our name will change to
THE SEEING PLACE.
The word "theater" originated from Greek, meaning "the place of seeing". A theater is a space where people come to observe themselves, others, and the social situations that surround us. During the past few years, as we have progressed through Act Two, we have realized that the name and purpose of Legacy Theater Company have been limiting our capacity to achieve all that God has planned for us. We realized we no longer want to simply leave a "Legacy." We want to provide a place that gives people sight.
At The Seeing Place, our mission is to foster community through education, music, and theater. We aim to illuminate the truth about our lives and ourselves while also serving as a ministry to uplift and inspire individuals. Through high-quality productions, classes, and workshops, we aim to foster community, encourage personal growth, and find meaning through the stories we tell.
On the surface, you may not notice anything different. We will still be doing amazing shows and concerts, and our School of the Arts program will continue to expand. Our Board of Directors has stayed the same, and Steven and I are still at the helm, steering the ship.
But The Seeing Place will allow us to grow and expand in ways that Legacy Theater Company didn't allow. We hope you will join us for this new season and day.
For now, we close the story of The Legacy Theater Company. We mourn the end of its beautiful story, savor the memories, and hopefully move forward in the lessons she taught us. At the same time, we rejoice at the beginning of a new story—the story of The Seeing Place.
If you have any questions about changing our name and mission, feel free to email us at contact@seeingplace.org or call ERIKA at 910-548-6323,
and we will answer any questions you may have.
💜 Erika Bain