With a mission to create “provocative, meaningful theatre in the Lacey Township community, utilizing the talents of local residents,” the Burning Stage Theatre Company was launched last fall by Brian Stike, Lacey Township High School’s Theater Director.
Recruiting recent graduates of his high school program, Stike said the company’s first production was a holiday show on the LTHS stage, for which 500 tickets were sold.
“I hope that this takes off because our community is ready,” said Stike, who serves as the company‘s artistic director. “It‘s going to be entertaining and will showcase the talent of some of Lacey‘s finest.”
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Stike, who started at LTHS as the band director 12 years ago, moved to Theater Director in 2005 when the high school implemented a theater curriculum. He said he had been thinking about forming a local theater for several years.
“After high school, if my students wanted to continue in theater, there was no opportunity in Lacey,” he said. “That led me to start my own theater company with a goal of doing as professional a job as we possibly can.”
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The company’s next production is a murder/mystery show, “Murder Me Always,” at the Captain’s Inn in Forked River on Friday, Aug. 5. The show includes dinner and is made up of 11 actors, many who were graduates of LTHS.
Stike said he is already planning the company’s first main stage production at LTHS, a large-scale musical featuring local people of all ages. He hopes to hold a cabaret night, hosted by a local venue, this fall. And he is planning the second annual Lacey Holiday Spectacular some time in December.
Meanwhile, the company has formed a partnership with Lacey Township Recreation to offer theater classes at a reasonable cost to residents this fall.
“It’s a win-win,” said James Wioland, township recreation director. “The kids will have a great experience and the company can build an audience as well as participants.”
There will be two different levels offered. First, there will be a musical theater course for third through eighth graders for six weeks in October and November. At the conclusion of the course, the students will put on a small production at the Lacey Middle School.
The second class, for ages 14 and up, will provide a variety of experiences to attract Stike’s former students.
“I would like to make that class a series of workshops, such as improv, comedy and musical theater, with theater professionals from New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey,” said Stike. “The impetus for me using guests is that many of the class participants will be my former students, so they will get something new.”
To register, visit the Recreation office in the Municipal Complex or call 609-693-1100, ext. 2203.
While Stike said the company has a strong group of initial people, they are always looking for new members. Those interested in joining Burning Stage Theatre Company may e-mail burningstage@gmail.com or look for them on Facebook.
