For a weekend or two, actors bask in the glory they have earned by spending countless nights perfecting each line and movement. But behind the sets and out of the lights, the individuals behind Lansing's varied theater life are a dramatic force in themselves.
Sitting backstage in the newly remodeled Riverwalk Theatre, actor, director and dedicated thespian Bill Helder remises about the birth of the only nonprofit theater in Lansing that owns its own production space.
"This theater has gone from renting an empty warehouse to owning its own space," Helder said. "We're looking forward to making it available to other performing groups.
"It brings new audiences in, and it's a good recruiting device (for actors)."
The Riverwalk, located at 228 Museum Drive across from Impression 5 Science Center, is the permanent home of the Community Circle Players. The group split from the Lansing Civic Players 44 years ago, and after a brief stint in a Lansing warehouse, performed in a barn in Okemos for 22 years.
"It had a lot of charm," Helder said. "People loved that place."
In 1986 the Community Circle Players lost its lease on the barn and began a capital development campaign to earn enough money to find a permanent location.
"We thought we could do it in one year because we didn't know what we were doing," Helder recalled. "It would get discouraging. You lose momentum. We tried to do at least one summer show a year."
Though the Circle Players have called the Riverwalk home for more than 14 years, artistic director Michael Siracuse said name recognition was a struggle until recently.
"We've struggled for years and years in this location," Siracuse said. "There's the constant struggle of people saying, 'Oh, I didn't know you were back here.'"
The Lansing Civic Players, Lansing's oldest theater group, are enjoying its 74th season by bringing audiences a selection of family musicals and light comedy.
"Our patrons look to us for more of the older shows, standards, family entertainment," Civic Players President Beverly Gross said. "They're kind of PG rated."
The Civic Players have spent years building up an extensive costume shop and try to involve as many people as possible on- and backstage.
"Our niche in the theater world is more of family entertainment, not controversial types of things," Gross said. "We do youth theater for teenagers
