Company OnStage to Announce Comeback Season at 'ROBIN HOOD'

The Company OnStage Theatre, which reduced its full schedule of productions in 2015, will announce a comeback schedule for its 2017-2018 season on Friday, July 7, at a benefit performance of its current production.

The theatre has been on a limited production schedule since being forced to move in 2015 from its home of 35 years in the now defunct Westbury Square Shopping Center. The new season will see the return of the theatre's evening series of productions, which was suspended after the move. The theatre will also continue its season of productions for children. There also will be a few surprises to ensure that there will be something for everyone who enjoys an evening of live theatrical performance and the arts, said Stacy Bakri, artistic director.

The new season will be announced at the performance of "The Adventures of Robin Hood," written by Michele L. Vacca, directed by Karla Brandau, and produced by special arrangement with Classics On Stage! of Chicago, Ill.

This event will include a champagne and wine reception, hors d'oeuvres, door prizes and a silent auction.

"Robin Hood" is appropriate for all ages and features beloved characters of legend, including the notorious outlaw Robin Hood, played by Randy Creager, Little John (Nicholas Garelick), Maid Marion (Madison Cockrell), The Sherriff of Nottingham (David Chapin), Friar Tuck (Jim Walsh), with Neil Orts, Anita Samson, Ricky Rojas, and Lisa Graham rounding out the cast. Tickets for this event are $25.00 and may be purchased online at www.companyonstage.com or at the door. Early ticket purchase is highly recommended.

As Company OnStage prepares the new performance space for its 40th season, Bakri said, it can proudly look back on a history of supERB Productions. "Be it the evening or the children's series, COS has consistently strived to maintain both a high level of entertainment and artistic quality, and to engage any who wish to participate in the theatrical arts," she said.

The season opens on Oct. 6, 2017, at the theatre's new performance space, the former Family Life Center on the campus of Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, near the intersection of South Post Oak and West Bellfort.

Joyce Randall McNally, a former associate director at the Alley Theatre under Nina Vance, founded COS in 1977 with the stated goal to "increase participation, awareness, and appreciation in the theatrical arts" within the community. McNally began her mission with acting classes at St. John's Presbyterian Church in the Westbury area of southwest Houston. The initial offerings were for children - "The Wizard of Oz" and "Aladdin and his Magic Lamp." In 1982, a former lamp store in Westbury Square was transformed into a working theater. As artistic director, and with husband Hank as technical director, McNally increased the number of plays for children to five and added evening productions for adults. In 1986, the theater was organized as a Texas non-profit corporation with a board of directors and has remained a 501(c)(3) entity ever since.

After McNally's death in 2002, founding theater member Patti Lindloff became artistic director. COS continued its mission to make a valuable contribution to the arts in Houston by engaging local authors, producing new works, old and classic favorites, regional premieres, and diversity of content, theme, and genre, Bakri said, adding that the theatre's commitment to remaining in the Westbury, Meyerland, and Bellaire corridor never wavered.

Besides Bakri, who has been with Company OnStage since 1993, the theatre is also led by its board of directors under the leadership of Kathryn Noser-Hartzog, a former actress and director who began attending performances at Company OnStage as a child. Bakri said the theatre is intent on continuing its mission of providing affordable access to the theatrical arts for all who wish to participate, whether they are audience members, volunteers, performers, directors, tech personnel, designers, event planners, and anyone who is ready and willing to contribute.

Visit and like the Company OnStage Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecompanyonstage to keep track of COS goings on, special events, audition notices, and announcements, or call 713-726-1219 for more information. The Company OnStage, Inc. (COS), is a Texas non-profit corporation with tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and has business offices in southwest Houston at 9647 Hillcroft St. To purchase season tickets or make reservations, visit www.companyonstage.org or call 713-726-1219 and leave a message.

Pictured: Nicholas Garelick as Little John, Jim Walsh as Friar Tuck, Randy Creager as Robin Hood, and Ricky Rojas as Will Scarlett in Company OnStage's production of "The Adventures of Robin Hood." Photo courtesy of Lauren Hainley of Archeya Photography.

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