[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 35 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO STAGECRAFTERS

                                 ______


                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 1996

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, as the Stagecrafters present their 40th 
anniversary season, I rise today to recognize the important role that 
this community theater has played in the lives of citizens of Royal Oak 
and theater lovers throughout southeastern Michigan.
  What began in the summer of 1956 with a production of Noel Coward's 
``Blithe Spirit,'' presented in a garage in Clawson, has evolved into a 
large family of 250 volunteers, 2,400 season ticketholders, 21,000 main 
stage audience members in their own house, and a reputation as one of 
the finest community theater groups in Michigan.
  Each year Stagecrafters presents a full season of drama and musical 
theater. In the late 1970's Stagecrafters added the popular youth 
theater group for ages 12 to 18, and studio productions of nonbox 
office shows performed during the summer.
  In 1984, recognizing the need for an adequate space for both 
production and audience accommodation, the search began in earnest for 
a permanent home. The city of Royal Oak offered to help Stagecrafters 
purchase the historic, decaying Washington Theater. With help from the 
Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority and the National Bank of Royal 
Oak this volunteer community theater group undertook the purchase and 
restoration of this recognized landmark. The Baldwin Theater reopened 
in 1985, one of the oldest theaters left in existence in southeast 
Michigan and the only historic theater in operation in Oakland County, 
a jewel in the city's crown.
  Through this effort, Stagecrafters has, indeed, played a vital role 
in the redevelopment of downtown Royal Oak for more than a decade.
  Today the Baldwin Theater balcony has been added as an active second 
stage with its own following. The youth theater group continues to be 
one of the best in the State and has hosted two international community 
theater competitions; a sister-theater relationship has been developed 
with St. Albans in England. The theater features an infrared assistive 
listening system for the hearing impaired, and the Wurlitzer Theater 
Pipe Organ has been restored--the only theater organ in an open-to-the-
public space in Oakland County. A capital campaign is under-way now to 
improve the exterior of the Baldwin Theater and install a replica of 
the original marquee.
  In this 40th anniversary season, Stagecrafters' ability to restore 
the Baldwin Theater building through volunteer efforts, and to 
consistently provide high quality dramatic entertainment at affordable 
prices, makes Stagecrafters unique among community theater groups in 
the United States.

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