Here's how Springfield's theater community continues to grow, change post-COVID

Rick Dines remembers his first production on the Springfield Contemporary Theatre stage: "What the Butler Saw" in February 1998. At the time, SCT was called Vandivort Center Theatre and was housed downtown, where Hotel Vandivort is today. The two-act play was Dines' senior project for his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre degree from Missouri State University.

While balancing college coursework, Dines helped out here and there with productions at the Vandivort Center Theatre. After graduating from Missouri State in May 1998, he joined the theater as a part-time employee. In 2005, Dines moved to New York and during this time he would return to help produce a show each year. In 2012, he moved back to Springfield and took on a full-time role with SCT. Most recently, he's served as the theater company's managing director.

After more than 25 years with SCT, Dines is stepping down Friday, March 15. While he doesn't have definitive plans for what's next, he's looking forward to life slowing down.

"For a lot of us, the two years of COVID were tough, especially with being mostly shut down for the bulk of two years. Trying to keep an organization alive through that was tough, but in a lot of ways, the last two years have almost been harder," Dines said. "A lot of us ... are kind of feeling burnout and everything, and I feel like I was kind of at that point 18 months ago. I thought, 'Oh, I'll work through it' and I just haven't found that. It seemed time. Looking to kind of take care of myself instead of everything else."

The decision wasn't an easy one.

"Honestly, it's the hardest decision I've made in my life," Dines added. "I have so much of myself invested into this organization ... it is hard to step away, but in this moment, it felt like the right choice for me."

When asked about some of his SCT productions over the years, Dines compared it to picking his "favorite children." But if he had to choose, SCT's production of "Hair" in 1998 stands out. It was the first time "Hair" was produced in Springfield. He produced the musical with SCT founder Lou Schaeffer.

Dines will continue serving on the SCT board through mid- to late summer and hopes to eventually direct or perform again, which is what he enjoys the most. SCT has canceled its planned production of "Parade" in conjunction with Dines' departure, according to a SCT news release. The organization's final production of the season is "The Other Place," which runs April 26 through May 12.

Lingering effects of pandemic appear to wane

Dines' exit from SCT is just one of many moving parts in Springfield's ever-changing theater community, which has been growing and changing since the pandemic.

After two years of instability with livestreamed productions and reduced casts and crews, the theater community appears to be back on its feet.

"Finally things have recovered enough, what we're seeing is that we're back to where we were pre-COVID," Dines said. "The landscape looks a little different but the opportunities that vanished have returned."

Lorianne Dunn, Springfield Little Theatre education director, said she and Beth Domann, SLT executive director, have been "super-heartened" by sales for main stage productions at The Landers Theatre.

"The landscape of the community, it just feels really alive and fun," Dunn said.

When reflecting on the past few years, Dunn said she is especially proud of the SLT team for its resilience during uncertain times.

Speaking to the News-Leader in June 2023, Domann mentioned the difficulty community theaters were having obtaining big-name shows due to lingering effects of the pandemic. Producers were pulling these shows from smaller areas in order to continue national tours that made more money.

Fortunately, Domann said she isn't "hitting walls" anymore when it comes to what productions she can bring to SLT. In 2025, SLT will celebrate its 90th season and both Domann and Dunn expressed excitement for the season's lineup.

New theater company enters second season

While long-standing institutions like SCT and SLT are bouncing back from the pandemic, the newly formed High Tide Theatrical is just getting started. Established by Robert Hazlette in 2023, High Tide announced new full-time staff and a new performance venue earlier this year. Area performers Grace Billingsley and Joshua David Smith took over as executive director and artistic director, respectively. High Tide will soon be operating from 215 W. Olive St., formerly Heavy Heads Records downtown.

"I think as a group, we're all taking it a day at a time just because this is uncharted territory for a lot of us," Smith said. "Our goal is to have a fantastic 2024 season. We have three very strong shows coming up this season that the theater community is in love with and the theater community has been waiting to see on a Springfield stage for a long time."

High Tide opened its 2024 season with "Red Hot & Backwards" in February, a one-night production that benefited AIDS Project of the Ozarks. The production raised more than $2,100 for APO, according to a High Tide Theatrical Facebook post.

More: High Tide Theatrical debuts 2024 season in new venue, formerly Heavy Heads Records

The remainder of the season includes "Tick, Tick ... Boom!" in April, "Next to Normal" in August and, back by popular demand, "The Rocky Horror Show" in October.

"Our slogan that we use for ourselves ... is that we are the people's theater, meaning we want to make sure that our theater is totally accessible for the Springfield community," Smith said.

High Tide hopes to accomplish this with lower ticket prices, options for sensory-friendly productions (altered lights and sounds) and diverse casts, Smith added. To compare prices, a general admission ticket to High Tide's "Tick, Tick ... Boom" is $25. Tickets to SLT's current production, "The Play That Goes Wrong" range from $22 to $42 and a ticket to SCT's upcoming production "Fences" is $32 for adults.

To many in the community, the establishment of a new theater company doesn't mean competition. It means another outlet for opportunity.

"I think the great thing is that most of the groups serve such different functions," Dines said. "I think we complement each other very well in our missions and what we are setting out to do. As long as that's continuing to work so well, I think that gives me great hope for everything continuing and thriving."

'Forging new partnerships'

SLT kicked off the new year with "In The Heights," a musical produced in collaboration with Mosaic Arts Collective. The 60-member cast was made up entirely of local Latino and Afro-Latino actors.

Speaking to the News-Leader in January, before the musical opened, Director Nki Calloway said the original production of "In The Heights" features only 12 cast members.

"We were originally only going for about 30 people in the show, but what happened was when people came to show up to audition, they brought their families with them," Calloway told the News-Leader in January. The musical featured mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and grandparents with their grandchildren.

The musical sold out with standing room only for its closing weekend and Dunn said most of the other shows were nearly full.

The News-Leader connected with Mosaic Arts Collective to discuss the musical but did not receive responses by press deadline.

In addition to "In The Heights," the SLT and Mosaic Arts Collective are partnering to host "Disney's Aladdin, KIDS" as a part of SLT's Education Series in April and May. For about one month, children will rehearse the production and performances will be presented throughout late May and early June at The Judy Enyeart Reynolds School of the Performing Arts, which houses the SLT Education Department.

Dunn said SLT is also looking forward to "forging new partnerships" with organizations like Art Inspired Academy and The Arc of the Ozarks this year.

Mark the calendar: Here's what productions are coming this spring

• Springfield Little Theatre's "The Play That Goes Wrong": March 7-17 at The Landers Theatre

• Stained Glass Theatre's "Foreseen": March 8-April 6 at Stained Glass Theatre in Ozark

• Missouri State's Theatre and Dance Department's "Circle Mirror Transformation": March 21-25 at Balcony Theatre in Craig Hall

• Springfield Contemporary Theatre's "Fences": March 21-31 at Historic Fox Theatre

• Springfield Little Theatre Education Department's "The Misadventures of Flat Stanley, JR": March 28-30 at The Reynolds Auditorium at The Judith Enyeart Reynolds School of the Performing Arts for Springfield Little Theatre

• Missouri State's Theatre and Dance Department's "A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical": April 11-14 at Coger Theatre in Craig Hall

• Springfield Little Theatre's "Disney's Mary Poppins, JR": April 11-21 at The Landers Theatre

• High Tide Theatrical's "Tick, Tick ... Boom!": April 12-20 at 215 W. Olive St.

• Springfield Little Theatre Education Department's "Honk!, JR": April 26-28 at The Reynolds Auditorium at The Judith Enyeart Reynolds School of the Performing Arts for Springfield Little Theatre

• Springfield Contemporary Theatre's "The Other Place": April 26-May 12 at Historic Fox Theatre

• Springfield Little Theatre Education Department's "Disney's Aladdin, KIDS": May 31-June 9 at The Reynolds Auditorium at The Judith Enyeart Reynolds School of the Performing Arts for Springfield Little Theatre

• Springfield Little Theatre's "Guys and Dolls": May 31-June 16 at The Landers Theatre

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield's theater community continues to grow post-COVID