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Heller Theatre opens its production season at a new home.
Julie Tattershall and the rest of her staff of three have a lot to do before Sept. 18.
That’s when Heller Theatre’s opening production of the 2009-2010 season, “Rabbit Hole,” premieres, and this year, the road to opening night will require much more work than in the past.
That’s because Heller, a 28-year-old theater program run by the City of Tulsa, has a new home — Henthorne Community Center, 4825 S. Quaker Ave.
This move was 10 years in the making, Tattershall says. It was clear even then that Heller had outgrown its former facility, so the staff and city officials set out to find a suitable replacement, considering other recreational centers, a former dollar movie theater and even the Circle Theater, now home to Circle Cinema.
Last August, city officials landed on Henthorne, which at the time was hosting a bridge club, league basketball games and not much else. Plus, the facility was located just six blocks from Heller.
Now, thanks to $50,000 from a 1996 bond issue, Heller Theatre has added a variety of amenities to serve its 20,000 constituents, including a refurbished lobby, a hallway to host art shows, a larger theater with donated seats from the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, new lighting and sound equipment, a snack bar and additional rehearsal and preparation space for cast members.
The theater also will enable Heller to host larger-scale productions, such as musicals and this season’s “Clean House” and “The Lady of Setzuan,” two productions that would not otherwise have been offered.
Naturally, Heller will continue to offer the smaller, more intimate shows that its fans have come to enjoy, including “Rabbit Hole,” the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner that tells the story of a family dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident.
“Family dynamic is such a big part of the show, and anybody who’s ever lost any family member will identify with a lot of what happens,” Director Erin Scarberry says.
Tattershall says she is excited about Heller’s new location, which will add to the burgeoning arts hub of Brookside, also home to Tulsa Ballet’s new Studio K, and she looks forward to other arts groups making their way to the area.
“You don’t just have to go to the Brady District. You don’t just have to go downtown,” she says. “Now there’s this other mini-hub.”
