Pretty in Fink

Market House Theatre and our Board of Directors have been focused on the future beyond the current pandemic year. This past year has been filled with challenges but has also forced us to think about what MHT wants to be after we come out of this and to really take a hard look at “the way we’ve always done things.” It is fitting that the culmination of our Next Stage project this spring, really will set the theatre on a new path for the future. The old Finkel building is being transformed from a 1900’s clothing store into a theatre arts space. The building which was originally five separate buildings cobbled together, over time will be reconfigured as we enlarge the back one-story section opening up a larger space for dance and music recitals as well as new theatre opportunities.

This past week the play selection committee finished reading the 12 finalist plays for the 2022 AACT New Play Fest. MHT was selected from theatres across the country to do the world premiere of one of the winners from the competition. We read some exciting new works, and when AACT gives us permission, we will announce the winner that we will produce in the 58th Season. This is part of a continuing effort the theatre has been making to produce new work. In September of 2019, MHT produced the world premiere of Something Dark. In December of 2020, we produced the world premiere of The

Future Performance Space

Christmas Book. As a playwright I can tell you that finding theatres willing to workshop or produce a first production of a script is very difficult. Theatres mostly want to do well known titles that everyone has heard of. Our new studio theatre space will give MHT the opportunity to do some workshops of new works that allow writers to hear their plays read and audiences to give feedback for the first time. This is invaluable in developing a play for future production. It also gives MHT the ability to cast more local actors in workshop productions to gain performing experience without the big budget demand of a fully produced show. In our regular Signature Season about half of the plays we select are new titles for our audiences. With this new studio theatre space in the old Finkel building, MHT has reached out to Kentucky Playwrights and asked them to submit up to 2 scripts for possible workshop or production in our 58th season. So far we have received almost 10 scripts for our reading committee to review. These new opportunities added to our increased theatre and dance educational programming from the new classrooms finished in 2020 really do add a new layer of excitement about MHT’s future. We want to take a lead role as a community arts organization in creating new work and new visions for what local theatre and the performing arts can be that impact the arts across the state and country. MHT has been recognized for many years as a national leader in community theatre performance and educational programming. This is the culmination of the work the theatre has done over the past 10 years to create our campus of historic buildings preserving and revitalizing Paducah’s downtown with a vision to grow Paducah’s national reputation as a community that people want to live, work, and create in.