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Kerby Thompson stands in front of the pavilion where summer shows are held. (Photo: Ash Bailot)
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ortland Repertory Theatre is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and kicking it off with a performance of “Hair” on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. Before the show the theater is hosting a pre-show reception at Little York Pavilion, 6799 Little York Lake Road in Preble, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. There will be proclamations made by both the city and county of Cortland in honor of the anniversary, according to Producing Artistic Director Kerby Thompson. So how did CRT get its start? In the winter of 1971-72, Dr. James Palmer, who was the associate director of theater at SUNY Cortland, and David Yaman, a real estate developer, noticed a need for a summer theater experience for Central New York residents and visitors. With 23 charter members, CRT opened its doors on July 5, 1972 in the Pavilion at Dwyer Memorial Park on Little York Lake. For the next six years, the theater played an eight-week season, after which the format was changed to five plays running for two weeks each. In 1998, a sixth production was added to the schedule. Thompson was hired in 2000, and since then CRT has undergone much growth. A 2005 capital campaign allowed for a sprinkler system and accessible elevator to be installed at the Little York Pavilion, and five years later a former bowling alley in downtown Cortland was purchased with plans to convert it into a year-round venue for the theater. After rais-
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ing $2.5 million in five years, CRT Downtown opened. The new venue allows for stand-up comedy, concerts, cabaret nights, community dances and proms, alongside CRT productions, to be held year-round. Since its first season in 1972, which opened with “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Fantastiks,” “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “Robin Hood,” and “The Bremen Town Musicians,” there has only been one “intermission” season in which no shows were performed — the summer of 2020, while the world was still learning how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater bounced back in summer of 2021 with “The Honky Tonk Angels,” “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)”, “Goin’ to the Chapel,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Pirate Schmirate!” In its 50 years, the theater has performed classics like “West Side Story” and “Les Miserables,” as well as lesser-known tales like “The House at Pooh Corner” and “The Kitchen Witches.” This summer the schedule include “Hair,” “Over the River and Through the Woods,” “Kiss Me, Kate,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Treasure Island,” “Murder on The Orient Express,” “Upcycled Cinderella,” and “Mary Poppins.” There are generally three musicals and three non-musicals each season. For more information on CRT or to purchase tickets for shows, visit cortlandrep.org
