By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
After 22 years, Horizon Youth Theatre is finally on its own.
In July, the IRS granted the youth troupe its non-profit status. So after 10 years under the auspices of the Black Swamp Players, and before that affiliated with Bowling Green State University, the youth troupe is an independent entity.
No longer being under another entity’s tax-exempt status is an important step, said Thomas Edge, president of the HYT board.
“We hope it helps us in fundraising,” he said. The troupe’s “uncertain legal status may have affected how grant organizations looked at us. We existed on paper as an arm of Black Swamp Players.”
In spring 2018, the Players announced they were going to close up shop. That forced the HYT board, Edge said, to considered its future as an independent organization.
“We’re so pleased when Black Swamp Players did not end,” he said. But that crisis provided the youth troupe with motivation to continue to move forward on its own. “If we were going to leave,” Edge said, “it was going to be on our own terms and not in response to an emergency.”
The Horizon’s alliance with the Players also came in response to an emergency. Then it was the BGSU decision to end its connection with the troupe. “We’re so grateful that Black Swamp Players allowed us to make that transition 10 years ago,” Edge said.
His understanding of that time was that joining forces with the Players was going to be short term. “It may have taken much longer than people anticipated.”
Now, he said, “this does a lot to legitimize us seeking sponsorship.” And that funding “gives us more control over what shows we can produce and the workshops and clubs we can offer.”
The troupe faces major expenses of licensing scripts to perform and renting the spaces it needs for show and classes. The goal is to keep it affordable for families.
In addition to a year-round schedule of workshops, classes and clubs, Horizon produces four shows a year.
In fall, there’s a production for those 12 and over. This year that will be an age-appropriate version of “Romeo and Juliet,” Oct. 3, 5 and 6.
The troupe also produces a show with actors 12 and under in fall. This year it will be a stage version of the beloved children’s book “Sidewise Stories from Wayside School,” Nov. 8-10.
In April, the “Festival of Shorts” will be presented. Edge said the troupe will start preparations for that soon. All the shorts are written by the youngsters in workshops that start in October. Last year Horizon collaborated with the Children’s Theater Workshop in Toledo, which is directed by BGSU graduate Aimee Reid. She wanted to do something similar and reached out to Horizon.
The result was plays written by Horizon kids being performed in Toledo, and stories by Toledo kids being staged at Otsego High.
The 2019-2020 season will end with a staging of the musical, “Children of Eden,” June 19-21, an all ages show.
Edge said Horizon will continue to use the Otsego High School auditorium for its major productions. The board is talking with the Parks and Recreation Department, though, about using the new building in City Park for its Festival of Shorts.
Edge left open the possibility of using the Black Swamp Players’ new home on Oak Street for some of its activities. It would depend on the financing.
“We know both organizations support each other fully,” he said. “We know we can help promote each others’ work. We know that we can share information about auditions, about performances . We’ll continue to look for ways to collaborate in the future.”
The connection between the two troupes turned out to be more than one of convenience.
Among the shows they staged together were: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” “Seussical,” “The Secret Garden” and last winter’s “The Music Man.”
“Ultimately if arts groups support one another everyone has a chance to win,” Edge said. “When you create that base of people who want to see good shows, who actually want to attend live theater and help create the next generation of local people who are interested in the arts, that helps the Black Swamp Players.”
If Horizon youngsters “have opportunities to be in some of their shows and work along side adults on some challenging material, that’s great for us,” Edge said.
And it’s not only the youngsters who benefit.
The collaboration has brought several Horizon parents to the stage.
Edge was cast as the father in “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in 2014. It was his first time on stage since his high school days. He went on to perform in “On Golden Pond” with the Players, and in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Assassins” with the Village Players.
Stephanie Truman, whose children are in Horizon, has also made some notable appearances with the Players and continues serving on its board, providing a link between the two organizations.
Edge said: “Parents see their kids taking these risks and say ‘I want to do this’ or say ‘let’s do this as a family.’ How many in ‘Music Man’ had entire families on stage?”
It was his child, Ligaya, who got him involved in the board. In 2016, Ligaya auditioned for both fall shows, and was cast in neither. But Ligaya returned home excited about still being part of the troupe by working backstage. When Edge saw that enthusiasm, he knew Horizon was an organization he wanted to help nurture.
The troupe remains “nomadic.” Looking ahead, he said: “The long-term solution is a permanent home for Horizon Youth Theatre. That’s the ultimate goal.”
