[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN HONOR OF THE CRIGHTON PLAYERS/PLAYERS THEATRE COMPANY 50TH 
                           ANNIVERSARY SEASON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2016

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the same year that Mickey Mantle 
slugged his way to his 500th career homer, Andy Griffith was America's 
favorite TV dad and sheriff and Cabaret took home theatre's coveted 
Tony Award, a group of community leaders got together in Conroe to talk 
about how best to bring the arts to their city.
  They gathered at the Montgomery County Library to form the Little 
Theatre of Conroe. Their first performance of ``The Remarkable Mr. 
Pennypacker'' was held in the Conroe High School auditorium.
  Blessed with a faithful audience, the Conroe theatre stalwarts were 
able to purchase the old Hunt Plumbing Building in Conroe in 1967 where 
they performed comedies, dramas and dinner theatre fare. At the end of 
their first decade, they joined forces with the city of Conroe to 
produce their first musical to coincide with our nation's bicentennial 
celebrations.
  ``Oklahoma'' was performed at Conroe High School to a standing room 
only crowd. Two years later, they wowed with ``South Pacific''.
  It was about a decade into the Little Theatre's venture when Frank 
and Hallie Crighton Guthrie were exploring the possibility of donating 
their family's vaudeville theatre in downtown Conroe. All they asked 
was that the name be maintained and the theatre used primarily for the 
performing arts and that the Little Theatre of Conroe would be the 
resident theatre group.
  With the help of architect Harry Devlin, fundraising artistry of 
Rigby Owen, and the sweat equity of the Little Theatre troupe, the run 
down theatre was reborn as the ``Crown Jewel of Montgomery County.'' 
The Crighton Community Theatre then reopened with ``The Last Meeting of 
the Knights of the White Magnolia,'' a play about a small Texas town.
  For 30 years, the Crighton Theatre was home, but when the City of 
Conroe decided to invest in a downtown revitalization project, the 1947 
Weisner building was repurposed as a state of the art theatre for the 
Crighton Players. It is in this theatre where they produce several 
shows each season to sold out crowds, including more than a thousand 
season ticket holders.
  The Players Theatre Company brings the arts home to Conroe with 
studio programs, summer arts programs, senior programs, C. Kidz, The 
Players' Old Time Radio Hour, the City of Conroe's Shakespeare Festival 
and annual community celebrations.
  Their theatre conservatory program provides community members high 
quality arts instruction and corporate partnerships expand the reach of 
what started in the hearts of a small group of theatre lovers.
  Experienced directors, actors, and technical crews voluntarily give 
their all for each performance and faithfully carry out the vision that 
began in the Montgomery County Library a half a century ago.
  As we celebrate the Players 50th anniversary season, we rejoice in 
their successes and we can't wait to see what they do in their next 50 
years.

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