Members, patrons and actors of the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St., will celebrate five years of performance on Saturday, Aug. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Gerald Bartell Community Theatre Foundation has planned a special commemoration that will include live music, appearances by local dignitaries and performances by the six groups that frequent the theater; the Encore Studio for the Performing Arts, Madison Theatre Guild, Strollers Theatre, StageQ, Mercury Players and MadCAP.
Lee Ann Cooper, managing director for the Bartell Theatre, said \Basically it's just to have people come in, see the building and enjoy the entertainment.""
Cooper is happy to see the theater grow and thrive over the last five years. She helped renovate the building in 1997 and 1998 and assisted with the first performance in August of 1998. The building, which used to house the Esquire movie theater, is completely changed from that former occupant. Currently the theater is almost always used by one of its six groups.
One upcoming production the Bartell will feature is ""All in the Timing,"" six one-act comedies by David Ives. The six comedies deal with everything from monkeys typing ""Hamlet"" to Leo Trotsky with an axe in his head.
Leo Cooper, vice president of the Gerald Bartell Community Theatre Foundation, said the Bartell provides a good venue for students to frequent.
""Students really like this kind of humor,"" Cooper said. ""The six one-act plays are really well-known among students and people who have gone to the university.""
The Bartell is thought of as the centerpiece for community theater in Madison. Its downtown location and proximity to the university allow it to benefit from both the student population and the recent upswing in renovation downtown.
Leo Cooper is proud of the theater and its place in Madison. ""The building is really active. It's a total community theater and we are a necessary part of the community,"" he said.
