“
I really think our future is
very bright but it won’t be with-
out challenges. The biggest one
might be in trying to figure out
how to market ourselves more
effectively, especially to younger
audiences, to keep people coming
to our shows,” she said.
Simply advertising in print me-
dia or on television isn’t enough
anymore because of the way tech-
nology has taken over so much
media. “That’s why we recognize
how important websites that ca-
ter to local news and events and
the social media, like Facebook,
are to us,” she said.
Another factor, Hoey said, is
the type of show produced at the
tent and at the Winter Playhouse.
Whereas musicals and comedies
sell best at the former, more edgy
and dramatic shows do well at
the latter.
That was the main factor in
starting the lab theatre as it
is now, Costa said. “Leonard
wanted to do shows differently.
We always did ‘big cast’ shows at
the tent to involve as many as we
could, but that meant not doing
a lot of really good, smaller cast
shows,” she said.
The lab theatre produced its
first show, a small-cast musical
called “The Fantastiks” in the fall
of 1978 at St. Mary’s Parish Hall.
Leonard Costa was the director.
The lab theatre had different lo-
cations through the years, includ-
ing a former bowling alley on
Adams Street that burned down
the night before the last show of
the season in 1989. It later got its
own permanent home, the build-
ing in Upper Bradley Park a few
hundred yards from the tent. It
opened in 1997.
Hoey said the Winter Play-
house has done shows in recent
years that have appealed to
younger performances and audi-
ences and some of the older, big
musicals still draw good audi-
ences. “But we have to find ways
to appeal to people when we do
shows they aren’t familiar with.
That will be more challenging.
For example, there are shows that
may be well known to the Broad-
way circuit but not in central
Illinois.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge,
she said, will be handling the
long-term needs of the organiza-
tion. The infrastructure at the
tent location is in need of more
than just spot repairs since it is 60
years old and the issues of exces-
sive heat and humidity seem
more prominent these days when
people are more used to being in
air conditioned buildings.
Corn Stock’s long-range plan-
ning committee is starting to look
into the issues and needs but
is far from making any recom-
mendations. “Whatever we end
up doing we will always keep
in mind our rich history and the
charm of the tent,” she said.
“
It is still the most unique the-
ater experience most people will
ever get,” Hoey said.
Bourland echoed that senti-
ment and said, “I wouldn’t trade
one minute I spend out there. It
really is hard to describe what
that place means to me. But we
really do need to look forward
and not back. It’s evolving. I
think Corn Stock’s future look
good because it has always had
incredible staying power. But
some changes may need to be
made to meet the challenges of
the future.”
15
thePeorian.com
The Past
