By Karla Williams Buettner
Forty years ago, two theater lovers named Jonathan Foster and Susan Miller founded a company that, ever since, has been committed to presenting affordable theater in Saratoga Springs. Over the past four decades, that group – Home Made Theater — made a name for itself, not only in the Spa City, but in the Capitol Region and beyond. How? By producing quality community theater, but with a professional edge.
Because we’ve used locally sourced actors and hundreds of volunteers, both behind the scenes and backstage, our shows have made all involved feel like part of a family. That doesn’t always happen in community theater. Often, the people involved in these types of productions become friendly for two to three months and then lose contact with one another. Home Made Theater is different.
Our family ties have bound us to do the same thing that Mr. Foster and Ms. Miller intended for Home Made Theater, namely, presenting quality theater at affordable prices. Over the past 40 years, Home Made Theater has produced over 175 plays and musicals, including regional premieres, and has held performances at Caffe Lena, the Spa Little Theater at Saratoga State Park, the Dee Sarno Theater at Saratoga Arts, the Saratoga Music Hall and The Mansion Inn, among others. It has afforded hundreds of young actors the chance to gain experience through its highly successful and well-regarded Youth Conservatory and Summer Camp. We have also offered plenty of youngsters the chance to see live theater via our school field trip programs.
We are inclusive too. We were the first in the region to designate at least one performance to be sensory friendly, so all affected by sensory processing challenges can enjoy the same entertainment in a comfortable environment.
Home Made Theater has also had a presence in the life of the community. We have participated in the Victorian Street Walk on Broadway, “Art in the Park” at Congress Park, the Fall Festivities hosted by the Saratoga Downtown Business Association, and the Saratoga Book Festival Literary Marketplace, just to name a few.
We believe in playing this important role in the community because, according to the group Americans for the Arts, 86 percent of Americans believe arts and culture is important to their community’s life and 79 percent of the American public believe that the arts are important to their community’s businesses, economy and local jobs. COVID taught us that; how many of us were glued to our televisions or computers or phones, aching for entertainment that would help us forget, just for a little while, the fact that we were living in an unprecedented global pandemic?
While the community-at-large may realize how crucial the performing arts are to a fulfilling life during these post-pandemic times, we recognize that everyone’s discretionary income is at a premium and this has caused a financial issue for many theater companies, including us. As a result, in May of this year, the Home Made Theater Board of Directors made the difficult decision to let go of its paid staff and change its business model to an all-volunteer-run company. We were faced with a choice – dissolve this beloved, decades-old and highly regarded company or change the business model. The vote was unanimous – we were not going to let Home Made Theater fall by the wayside.
Since July 1, 2024, the Board and many of its family of volunteers have stepped up to keep this theater not only alive, but producing quality events and shows. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. Is it worth it? Absolutely. We are resolved to never abandon the mission entrusted to us by our founders.
Where are we now? To kick off our “2024 Mini Season,” Home Made Theater is thrilled to present two performances of a brand-new murder mystery entitled “High School Reunion 2024: Burying the Past: A New Life for Grinnen Barret High” at The Mansion Inn in Rock City Falls on Saturday, October 19th. Afterwards, on December 6th, 7th, and 8th, we’re ringing in the holiday season at the Saratoga Music Hall with “A Holiday Cabaret.” All information on auditions and tickets, as well as ways to donate, is on our website www.homemadetheater.org.
With the help of the public, we look forward to another 40 years of Home Made Theater. As we’re often fond of saying, nothing is better than homemade!