Hill Country Community Theatre

By Don Eckelbarger and Janice Cleavinger
Contributing Writers

Have you ever thought about “treading the boards” on stage? That’s an old Broadway phrase often associated with performing theatre before a live audience, and on Aug. 17 and 18, the Hill Country Community Theatre (HCCT) in Cottonwood Shores gave 18 of your friends and neighbors the opportunity to do just that and share their talents.

Special to The Highlander

The Hill Country Community Theatre presents “Doublewide, Texas,” the fourth show of its 2018-19 season¸ by playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten.

In this hilarious, fast-paced comedy, the inhabitants of one of the smallest trailer parks in Texas — four doublewides and a shed — are thrown for a loop when they realize the nearby town of Tugaloo is determined to annex them.

Ryan Counts, Jennifer Brust, and Abigail Storm paint backdrops for the upcoming Hill Country Community Theatre musical production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "State Fair," while Nina Price watches in the background. The musical premieres this Thursday, July 19, at the theatre and runs through Aug. 6.

The Hill Country Community Theatre (HCCT) will unveil its 3rd annual talent show in a one-night performance designed to fit any theater goer's budget on Saturday, Aug. 19.

“We had some amazing talent try out,” said Mike Rademaekers, executive director of HCCT. “You will enjoy watching your friends and neighbors shine on our stage. There will be music, singing, comedy, even some multicultural pieces/”

Kay Baker and Seth Smith will be masters of ceremonies for performers from all over the Highland Lakes area.

Tickets will be available at the door for the 7:30 p.m. show, but it another of the theaters “pay-what-you-can events.

The HCCT is located at 4003 West Farm to Market Road, at the traffic light in Cottonwood Shores.

A chance for dramatic savings on tickets to the 2nd Annual Taste of the Hill Country ends Sunday, Aug. 6.

The event brings together more than 20 of the Highland Lakes area top chefs and restaurants to benefit the performing arts programs at the Hill Country Community Theatre. Early Bird general admission tickets are are $40 each or two for $75 through Aug. 6.

When the event opens its doors at the Marble Falls Lakeside Pavilion on Oct. 17, tickets will be $55 each or two for $95.

"Guests sample signature dishes from the area’s finest restaurants all in one place at this event," said Mike Rademaekers, HCCT executive director. "Whether you’re a well-dined gourmand, a new-found food lover or simply looking for a good time with friends, there’s something for everyone at Taste of the Hill Country. Samples of food and drink are almost unlimited."

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

It was a mystery that bedeviled the cast of the newest Hill Country Community Theatre play, “Murder Weapon.”

What was in the theatre building in Cottonwood Shores that was leaving behind a mess, including overturned coffee cups and tossed trash, as evidence of its existence? Could it be a poltergeist or perhaps something far more sinister?

As it turns out, the culprit was caught after a trap was laid nearly as craftily as the one set for the suspect in the late Brian Clemens' suspenseful thriller, set to debut at the theatre on April 20.
The cast held a character workshop Thursday, March 30, before a cage trap was set out on the stage. At 7:45 a.m., play director Laura Gisi came into the theatre and found the culprit, Rocky Raccoon, wearing his “mask” and finally where he belonged – behind bars.

by Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

Highland Lakes Newspapers

For the past few months, my fellow cast and crew at the Hill Country Community Theatre have been recreating the fictionalized story of sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler on stage in the Irving Berlin muscial “Annie Get Your Gun.”

The production features some of the most recognizable music in the history of American theater, including the anthemic “There's No Business Like Show Business” and the rousing “Anything You Can Do.”

As of today, July 29, we have three more productions of this show — at 7:30 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, July 30, and at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, July 31 — before we say goodbye to Col. Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show and strike the set.

BY GLYNIS CRAWFORD SMITH

THE HIGHLANDER

The deadline is Friday, July 15, for nominations for Outstanding Citizen of the Year in the City of Cottonwood Shores.

The city council made the call for nominations at their meeting Thursday, July 7.

“The nominations will be presented at the next council meeting on July 21, but we need them in advance,” said City Administrator Sheila C. Moore. “At the first meeting in August, an award presentation will be made. This is the second year we have had this procedure.”

 By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The Marble Falls High School (MFHS) Theatre Department will present something just right for a Mother's Day treat—a light-hearted production, “Almost, Maine,” that is continuing through Sunday, May 8,  at Hill Country Community Theatre.

The play by John Cariani consists of interwoven romantic comedy vignettes set on a cold and moonless winter night in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, residents of Almost are falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways.

Tickets are now on sale for the Hill Country Community Theatre (HCCT) production of “A Little Off the Top,” a comedy that promises hilarity from April 21-May 1.

The play centers around Steve and Jerry, two lonely balding bachelors who find a perfect toupee to attract women. The problem for both is money. Desperate for hair, they throw in their resources to purchase a used toupee with a plan to take turns wearing it.

Never mind it was repossessed from an owner who died, their confidence soars.