Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin and Jake.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kevin and Jake. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Kevin: I decided I wanted to pursue a career in theater my senior year in High School. I was in a production of “Man of La Mancha” and after opening night, I found myself not wanting to leave the cafetorium because I didn’t want to lose that feeling. I ended up studying theatre in college and then a conservatory before moving to Houston in 1999 to join the A.D. Players Theater Company. I’ve appeared in a good many commercials and films along the way, but there will always be something about the collaborative nature of live theatre that sets it apart for me. Side note: yes, in High School we produced “Man of La Mancha” in a building that was half-theater, half-cafeteria…and it was awesome!
Jake: I grew up in the Dallas area and my family moved to Nashville, TN when I was 14. I fell in love with theatre at a very early age. I was that kid who knew exactly what he wanted to do/be when I was nine years old. After High School, I attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. I spent the next eight years as an actor in New York and all over the country. Most notably, I had the great privilege of performing in the Broadway cast of “Jersey Boys” from 2008 to 2010. In 2010, my wife and I relocated back to Nashville where I helped to found a professional theatre company called Studio Tenn and continued acting on stage and in TV and film. We built and grew Studio Tenn from scratch into the successful company it is today, and in 2017 I moved to Houston to take the position of Executive Director at A.D. Players and The George Theater.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Kevin: In 2017 we moved from a 220 seat theater to a multi-million dollar, state of the art, 450 seat theater, complete with a 75-foot fly loft and all the bells and whistles you can imagine. While that transition was not without its challenges, it certainly allowed us to produce at a much higher level, as well as have a much more significant impact on our community.
Jake: I have only been here since August 2017 and I can say that one of the most difficult challenges I faced happened during my first week on the job… Hurricane Harvey. We were set to perform our production of “Godspell” at Miller Outdoor Theater that weekend and our 51st season was set to open with the play “Harvey” a couple of weeks later. Oh, the irony! We canceled the show at Miller and quickly powwowed to figure out how we were going to open our season with a play called “Harvey” in a city that had just suffered a historic natural disaster by the same name! We decided to turn it into a citywide outreach effort called “Harvey for Harvey”. We invited all flood victims and first responders to come to the show for free. We held two free camps for kids who had been displaced from their homes and we collected thousands of dollars for local relief organizations. It was the least we could do to give back to our city and something I will never forget!
A.D. Players at The George Theater – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Kevin: First of all, we’ve been around for a long time. We were founded in 1967 by an amazing woman named Jeannette Clift George, who was a protege of sorts to Nina Vance (founder and Artistic Director of the Alley Theatre) and Zelda Fichandler (founder and Artistic Director of Arena Stage in Washington D.C.). Both of these women are widely considered to be the matriarchs of the modern day regional theater. I’ll let Jake unpack our mission for you, but we came about basically because Jeannette wanted a company that combined her passion for theatre and her Christian faith.
Jake: A.D. Players is one of the oldest professional theatre companies in the state of Texas, but just two years ago opened a brand new, $20M facility (The George Theater). We produce a Main Stage season of plays and musicals every year, field a regional touring unit and operate a full time Performing Arts Academy. Our mission is to produce compelling theatre, from a Christian world-view, that engages a diverse audience. We aim to provide world class programming that is exciting, accessible and engaging to ALL Houstonians.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Kevin: For me, it was opening night of “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the very first show we produced in our brand new theater on Westheimer. I joined the company in 1999, and even then there was talk of finding land and building a new theater. The journey to build that building took far longer than anyone expected. To see our founder, Jeannette Clift George’s dream become a reality 18 years later was pretty amazing.
Jake: I think my personal proudest moment thus far was the first annual After Dinner Affair Gala. We had so much riding on that event and most of it rested squarely on my shoulders. I had basically promised the moon and felt a great deal of pressure to deliver. We virtually sold it out and the response was overwhelming. When I realized we were going to actually have to force people to leave that night because they just didn’t want it to end, I thought “Wow. We did it”, and then I went home and collapsed!
Pricing:
- Individual Tickets range from $15-$75 depending on the night and seating level.
- Season tickets are the best deal!! Our 5 Show package means you get to see one of the shows for free!
Contact Info:
- Address: 5420 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77056 - Website: adplayers.org
- Phone: 713-526-2721
Image Credit:
Joey Watkins Photography and Jeff McMorrough
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