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Hello Sauk Valley and beyond!
As I write this article, I’m battling the flu. But we wanted to give you some updates!
The construction at The Dixon: Historic Theatre is underway. The scaffolding is up. It looks like a giant jungle gym. It’s really incredible. If you want to see some video, go to our Facebook page. As with any 100-year-old building, we keep finding more surprises that need to be fixed. But we will be ready to open our 2025 season in March!
Opening Friday is “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” at the Jerry Mathis Theater at Sauk Valley Community College! We have very limited tickets available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. All ticket sales are an investment in the theater, so if you’re on the fence, please consider buying that ticket. The costumes look amazing! You can get your tickets at www.dixontheatre.com.
“Frozen Jr.” was a massive success. With the kindness of Sauk Valley Community College and their donation of letting us use the Jerry Mathis Theater, the kids got to sing loud and proud – which delivered deafening applause from the two sold-out crowds! A very special “thank you” to Patrice for being our contact person and helping with a flawless run. Congratulations to Scott Shipp for his light design, sound design, set design and the dozen other jobs he did to help with the production. Once again, Jan Fattizzi and Tori DuBois Highly put on an amazing show and the smiles on the kids were a mile wide. A giant thank you to all the parents and volunteers for helping with ushering, kid wrangling, concession stand, and anything else we needed. These memories will last these little humans a lifetime.
There were two loud yells during “Frozen Jr.” out of nowhere. Why? Because two of the patrons were watching the Packer/Bears game on their phones and saw the blocked field goal. Please don’t watch football during the kids’ shows. At least, not in the theater. You could have joined me at the concession stand.
Dixon Stage Left put on the show “My Big Fat Italian Wedding Murder” and sold out both shows! Supporting the arts in this area is really terrific. With both our theaters opening in 2025, there should be something for the Sauk Valley area to do every weekend in Dixon. We’re excited to see all the shows at DSL!
The Dixon: Historic Theatre is also going to be producing its own plays and musicals with a new theater company: Rock River Theater Company. This new company will perform at the Dixon and other venues in the area. We will need all aspects of theater, so if you are an actor or a stage manager or writer or just want to be a part of something fun and magical, we invite you to come interview and/or audition. Our first play will be in January at the Jerry Mathis Theater. Please follow The Dixon: Historic Theatre on Facebook to find interview and auditions slots coming up in December. I own two theater companies that are still going strong in Los Angeles. We can’t wait to see what kind of passion we have in this area!
Have you ever wanted to try stand-up comedy? Have you ever wanted to try writing sketches like on Saturday Night Live? I will be teaching classes starting in January.
The class will end with a showcase of both stand-up comics and sketches. We will have a new theater company to perform the sketches! Please sign up for our newsletter to be the first to get information on a start date and location.
As a former athlete, I’d like to congratulate all the local teams for a great season! And good luck to Milledgeville and Amboy as they play for the 8-man state championship. Big shout out to West Carroll for making the playoffs their first year in 8-man football. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Don’t forget to go see the Dixon Municipal Band play their holiday concert at Dixon High School on Dec. 7. It has become a favorite tradition!
Thanks for reading all the way through!
- Darren Mangler is The Dixon: Historic Theatre’s artistic producer.