WADESBORO- L.L. Drake founded the Ansonia Theatre nearly a 100 years ago in 1925. Some say Drake’s spirit can still be seen and heard in parts of the building, but that’s a story for another time. The Ansonia was originally a vaudeville theatre but now it is the home of a talented, dedicated, and award winning group of performers and artisans.

One cannot mention the Ansonia Theatre without first talking about the Anson County Arts Council (ACAC). The ACAC is a nonprofit organization funded by foundations, grants, memberships, and fundraisers. Their partnerships with Anson County Schools and South Piedmont Community College allows them to provide programs, residencies, camps, and summer activities to the community. They also own and operate the Ansonia Theatre as well as the Drake Gallery.

The ACAC was founded in 1978 by a group of local art enthusiasts. The building where the ACAC now resides was once home to Chambers Waste Management, whom donated the building to the ACAC when they left the premises.

The Poulnott family owned the Ansonia Theatre and they donated it to the ACAC on the condition that the ACAC pay off the existing mortgage. The renovations to the Ansonia began in 2006 and were completed in 2011. The project cost close to $1 million.

“There were a lot of starts and stops in the renovation process, mainly because of money,” said Leslie Capell. “We would get a little and get something done.” Capell is a past ACAC president has been with them since the beginning.

The ACAC would eventually apply for a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. “It was a long, rigorous process. Several groups in the community went after money from Golden LEAF and they worked with us as one big multi-group. We finalized and made a presentation to their board and were awarded $175,00. The money pushed us over the top and let us get started,” said Capell.

The seats in the renovated theatre are original and have been refurbished with material donated by Hornwood, Inc., as were the curtains on the stage. All the flooring was donated by CMH Flooring, Inc. “We can say it’s truly a community theatre because the majority of the money came from either individuals, businesses, or foundations local to Anson County,” said Capell. “I think one reason why the community has been so supportive of us is the fact that people have such good memories of being in this theatre from decades ago. They use to show cowboy movies and the cowboys would come. We’ve had Roy Rogers here. Gene Autry was here. Lash LaRue. Older people can tell you what they saw here. They can tell you where they sat. They still have good feelings about it. I think that’s why they’re so proud now, because they have a connection to us,” she explained.

The first play performed at the newly renovated Ansonia Theatre would be A Christmas Carol. “A fellow in Rockingham, David Ariel, directed that play for us,” said Capell.

In 2013, Union County native Tommy Wooten came to the Ansonia Theatre to see a show. He’d told the ACAC he would like to direct something for them. The ACAC managed to get him to stay and the rest is history. “I’ve done community theater since I was a kid. I grew up doing community theater and I knew that was what I was going to do with my life. I’ve been at it the whole time,” said Wooten.

“I just love telling stories and taking people out of their normal, everyday life and taking them to a new place right here, in their own backyard,” said Wooten.

In 2013, the Ansonia Theatre’s Ginger Heath won Outstanding Lead Actor-Female for her role of Carrie Watts in Trip to Bountiful. The Ansonia Theatre was also nominated for Outstanding Production, Outstanding Supporting Actor-Female, Outstanding Lighting Design, and Outstanding Sound Design.

Ansonia Theatre’s 2019 production of Gypsy would win multiple awards. Wooten would win both Outstanding Director and Outstanding Supporting Actor-Male for his role of Herbie. Jennifer Boswell would win Outstanding Supporting Actor-Female for her role as Louise.

But the big deal hit when theAnsonia took home Theatre Company of the Year honors

“What I’ve seen is young people that come to us and just blossom on the stage. I think it’s given a lot of these kids an opportunity to show their talent and gain confidence,” said Capell.

“Where these young people might be fearful in a school setting or at their church, they come here and I think they feel an acceptance. Empowerment, that’s a good way to put it. I think Tommy fosters that, he tries to bring that out,” Capell added.

“It’s amazing the amount of pride every single person that’s involved, from Roe, our Treasurer, to Chuck Williamson and Marshall Ray, who works on the sets, to Mike Phillips, who does all the artwork – everybody is proud to be a part of what we have going on,” said ACAC Director Beth Davis Traywick.

Little Shop of Horrors will be the Ansonia’s next play and will be performed from March 13 – 22. They have already began rehearsals and building the puppets. “We build all of our props in house. As a matter of fact, our guy, Chuck, is building the ‘Plant’ next door, which is a huge undertaking,” said Wooten.

In addition to The Ansonia Theatre, the ACAC also runs the Drake Gallery. “We wanted something with its own brand, its own identity,” said Capell.

Boston native Leslye Smith will be the next artist to have a reception at the Drake Gallery. It will be held on Jan. 26 from 2 – 4 p.m. The reception will be for her Brick House Dolls.

If L.L. Drake’s spirit still watches over the Ansonia Theatre, how does he feel about all the hard work and dedication given to his theatre by the ACAC over the past few years? “We like to think he’s over there and happy with what we’re doing,” said Capell.

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By Charles Wood

Staff Writer

Reach Charles Wood at cwood@ansonrecord.com or at 704-994-5471