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Murray
Time & Temp
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by Aaron
W. Hughey
“We’re located in a landmark that’s almost a hundred years
old,” notes Michael Dunnagan, the director of Playhouse in the Park
for the last five years. “In fact, the old Train/Freight Depot was
saved for one purpose and one purpose only: the Playhouse in the Park
Theatre.”
Playhouse in the Park was founded by Richard Valentine in 1977. According
to the Kentucky Arts Council, it is one of the oldest community theatres
in the state.
“We’re very excited about the upcoming 25th season,” Dunnagan
says. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the past with the
best season ever!”
Dunnagan is no stranger to the stage. Before assuming his current responsibilities
with Playhouse in the Park, he spent 14 years in Los Angeles doing stage
and T.V. work. But he always knew that someday he would come back to his
roots in community theatre.
“Playhouse in the Park puts on about seven or eight productions a
year,” Dunnagan continues. “We do everything from drama to comedy
to lots of musicals. We are especially proud of our original works.”
“Recently, we staged Little Shop of Horrors,” Dunnagan explains.
“The production quality was tremendous. Everything from the sets
to the local talent was great.”
“And the response from the community was equally tremendous,”
Dunnagan adds. “In fact, the community tends to be very supportive
of everything we do.”
Other productions have included Frankenstein, which was staged during
the Halloween season, and Annie, a perennial favorite.
“In recent years, we’ve staged The Foreigner, Nunsense, Scrooge,
and several other seasonal productions,” Dunnagan continues. “During
the summer, we have a series called ‘Dessert Cabarets’ that’s
especially popular.”
“We are known for our beautiful sets,” Dunnagan explains. “We
go to extremes to stage very professional productions.”
Dunnagan notes that there is no shortage of acting talent in the Murray
region.
“We have a few actors from across the community we work with on a
continual basis,” Dunnagan continues. “But in recent months
I’ve also noticed many new faces in the productions.”
Playhouse in the Park also sponsors the Box of Frogs Children’s Theatre
Company, a big hit with the younger set in this area.
“We have always thought that getting children involved in these kinds
of activities is very important,” Dunnagan notes. “The Box of
Frogs Children’s Theatre Company is built on this belief.”
In addition to Dunnagan, those who work regularly with Playhouse in the
Park include a musical director, a costume director, a set builder, and
a technology/lighting director. Although some of the work is done on a
part-time basis, most of the effort it takes to keep Playhouse in the
Park up and running is voluntary.
“We really enjoy what we do for the local community,” Dunnagan
explains. “People do respond, especially when we do ‘big things’
to bring them out.”
“There are really two communities in Murray,” Dunnagan says.
“The one associated with Murray State University and what we do for
ourselves.”
“We do have a very good relationship with the University,” Dunnagan
adds. “But we are not actually affiliated with M.S.U. as are many
of the other cultural institutions in this area.”
“The community does not have much money to put toward supporting
Playhouse in the Park,” Dunnagan elaborates. “We tend to live
off our box office receipts and the support we get from local businesses.
In short, we do whatever we can to stay afloat.”
As an example, Dunnagan mentions that Playhouse in the Park began sponsoring
a Barbecue and Bluegrass Festival a couple of years ago.
Dunnagan is obviously excited about where Playhouse in the Park is located.
“The old Train/Freight Depot is one of the last real icons in the
Murray community,” Dunnagan says.
The Freight Depot is currently in the midst of major renovations, although
care must be taken anytime the structure is modified.
“We would like to expand the building, but we have to be very careful,”
Dunnagan explains. “We can’t touch the original structure because
it’s an historical landmark. The other part we plan to add is a place
to store scenes and props.”
“We recently added a parking lot,” Dunnagan says.
“Brad Steele, director of the Murray-Calloway County Park, in which
Playhouse in the Park is located, does an excellent job of keeping the
facility in wonderful shape,” Dunnagan continues. “He really
goes to great lengths to keep everything looking and running well.”
“The Theatre can hold up to 150 people,” Dunnagan says. “It’s
a very beautiful/functional facility; there’s not a bad seat in the
house.”
As for the future, Dunnagan indicates that he would like to have a full-time
grant writer to help secure funding for Playhouse in the Park.
“I believe there are a variety of resources we could have access
to if we had someone devoted to that aspect of the operation,” Dunnagan
notes.
“We have a jam-packed season planned for next year,” Dunnagan
concludes. “You don’t want to miss any of it!”
For a schedule of Playhouse in the Park performances, please contact Michael
Dunnagan at (270) 759-1752.
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