As Stage Door Theatre enters its 51st season, it will continue to focus its reach beyond its physical location into the community.
Producing Artistic Director Justin Bell, who joined Stage Door three years ago, said outreach to surrounding communities and diverse populations “give us a wonderful opportunity to develop life skills through performing arts.”
Those efforts include 10 weeks of summer camp for children from ages 5-12, now in its fourth year, that has had impressive growth. The first year, 50 campers attended, followed by 207 the following year, and 358 last summer. This year, enrollee numbers have topped 500.
In addition, SDT has formed partnerships with local elementary schools like Dunwoody Elementary and Montgomery Elementary schools to bring workshops onsite. It also has a spotlight series in collaboration with Picadilly Puppets Company, an Atlanta-based touring puppet theatre. Dad’s Garage Theatre, an improv theatre based in the Old Fourth Ward, will have its final performance on June 7 at Stage Door.
There is also two-week Teen Intensive Program in which aspiring performers embark on a journey that begins with auditions and culminates in a final performance. These intensive weeks offer a deep dive into theatre arts, according to its website, “providing valuable skill enhancement, a sense of camaraderie, and unforgettable experiences.”
SDT’s 51st season offerings, which kicks off in September, include five shows, including Agatha Christie’s “Mousetrap,” “Every Christmas Story Ever Told,” “Cry it Out,” “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and “Orange.”
Bell is no stranger to community theater. According to the Stage Door website, he has produced shows and events for Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, the Writers Theatre, Penguin/Random House, and Google.
For more than 10 years, Bell taught theatre management and directing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and most recently, was the managing director for the Sharon Playhouse and helped “transform a local community theatre into a small professional summer stock theatre.”
Bell said he is proud of Stage Door’s resiliency, especially considering recent local theatre closings after economic difficulties related to COVID-19.
Midway through its 47th season, Stage Door Players was forced to close their doors under the federally mandated quarantine. After emerging from the pandemic, Stage Door, according to its website, “committed to three things: art, community, and Dunwoody.”
“We are most excited that coming out of the pandemic that we are still standing and opening new chapters,” Bell said. “We have a lot of people to thank for that.”
Stage Door is located at 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody, in the same building as the Dunwoody Library and Spruill Center for the Arts. Click here for more information or to buy tickets for the upcoming season.