The Lake Theatre to celebrate 50 years with memory-filled gala

The year was 1968. The nation was embroiled in the Vietnam War; “Hey Jude” topped the pop charts; NASA rocketed the Apollo 8 astronauts into orbit around the moon, and the newly formed Riverbend Players, a creation of David Eastwood and Bruce Jordan, presented “Barefoot in the Park” at Glens Falls High School. That production launched what has evolved into The Lake Theatre.

The Lake Theatre, formally the Lake George Dinner Theatre, is celebrating its golden anniversary with a fundraising gala on Saturday, May 13. “A history of the theatre with all sorts of memorabilia will be on display,” says Sharon Reynolds, Group Tour Specialist at the Holiday Inn Resort. “A special prize will be stored in our ‘Treasure Chest,’ and guests will have an opportunity to obtain a key that might unlock the chest!” The celebration features a cash bar, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and live music by Déjà Vu.

Two couples will serve as honorary co-chairs of the gala, Neil and Phyllis Akins and Jim Ganser and Vicky Eastwood Ganser. Neil, over the decades, has appeared in two dozen company productions. Vicky ran the company with her husband David and continued as owner after David passed away in 1992. In 2008, ownership passed to current owner Terry Rabine, who had participated in the theatre’s student program and went on to be a director, stage manager and Equity actor.

The 1968 performance of “Barefoot in the Park” was a hit with the critics. Eastwood and Jordan recognized a need for summer theatre in the area. They were both involved with the Glens Falls Operetta Club, now the Glens Falls Community Theatre, which did not have a summer program. They found a home at Towers Hall, a mid-19th Century building that once served as a carriage house, then garage, at the Fort William Henry Hotel in Lake George Village. The company transformed the space into a theatre and opened for their second season on July 2, 1969, with Neil Simon’s “The Star-Spangled Girl.”

In 1974, Nan Veeder, then owner of the Lake George Holiday Inn, proposed an alliance, and the Lake George Dinner Theatre was born.  “It has remained a very strong collaboration ever since,” says Reynolds. The theatre has survived and thrived for decades, evidence that a demand exists for professional theatre in Lake George. The performances, paired with great meals, bring in audiences by the busloads.

“In the 50 years of the theatre,” says Reynolds, “we have had so many extremely talented artists work with us. Some have continued and flourished in the performing arts. We pride ourselves in having nourished the love of live theatre for not only our audience bur for our actors.”

Several company veterans will be at the May 13 gala, says Reynolds, including, Jim Noone, who was a set designer with the company for many years “and even followed David Eastwood to Boston and Japan to do the set for ‘Little Shop of Horrors.”  Maggie Jackson, who started as an actor with the company, and directed from 1981 to the mid-1990s, will be coming in from her home in Oregon to attend the gala.

Bruce Jordan, says Reynolds, who “was instrumental in the establishment of the theater with David Eastwood and the birth of “Shear Madness” in 1978 at the dinner theatre,” will be at the gala as well.  “Shear Madness” debuted in Lake George and then went to Boston to become the longest- running play in American theatre history.

Last year, the theatre reorganized as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit. In addition to being an enduring part of Lake George’s cultural offerings, the theatre has an educational component. The company offers intern opportunities to SUNY Adirondack students, a program, says Reynolds, they wish to expand.  The May 13 celebration fundraiser will be held at the Queensbury Hotel, 88 Ridge St., Glens Falls 6 – 9 p.m. Dress is casual. Tickets are $65 and may be purchased online at Eventbrite or by calling Sharon Reynolds at (518)668-5762, ext. 421.

Featured Photo: Actors Samantha Rosentrater and Patrick Rooney perform in the 2016 production “Almost, Maine.” Courtesy The Lake Theatre.