Backdoor Theatre has been a staple in the Wichita Falls community for five decades, connecting generations of families through volunteering and attendance.
Since 1976, the People’s Ice Company-Plant B, also known as the historic 1919 Ice House, at 501 Indiana Ave. in Wichita Falls, has been the home for Backdoor Theatre.
“At Backdoor Theatre, we are storytellers. That’s our job for our community,” Jessica Wood, the executive managing director at Backdoor Theatre, said. “We’ve been doing that for over 50 years.”
The theater’s 50th anniversary celebration will take place April 10 at Backdoor Theatre. Guests can enjoy a mixture of performances of stories from over 50 years, highlighting different volunteers who have been with the theater for a long time.
“At Backdoor Theatre, we put the community in community theater,” Wood said.
The celebration will also kickstart the theater’s Building Fund, which will support improvements to preserve and strengthen the historic 1919 Ice House.
The nonprofit employs four staff members and has around 200 volunteers, including the board of directors.
The actors, the backstage crew, ticket sales and others also volunteer their time to the theater.
“I believe I’m blessed, and Backdoor is a big part of it,” Nona Bailey, a longtime volunteer at Backdoor Theatre, said. “It doesn’t seem real because I can’t play the younger parts anymore, but I’ve had the opportunity to play some much older women too.”
Bailey has been a volunteer with the theater since 1985, bringing up her son Paul in the art.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Backdoor Theatre celebrates 50 years in the spotlight
Reporting by Naomi Skinner, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
