Conversations with Beth Thompson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Thompson.

Hi Beth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Old Town Players:

We are a local community theatre in our 4th season. We have produced murder mystery dinner theatre events in collaboration with 1910 Public House as well as main stage productions at Mt. Park United Methodist Church. Our last few shows have been staged in the Preston Room of Lilburn City Hall. We welcome newcomers — with our without experience — to be part of our productions. We strive to foster community and share the joy of live performance with our town.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We have had stellar support from other community theatres in metro Atlanta, who have loaned us furniture and props, helped promote our shows, and cheered us on. Our biggest hurdle is lack of a regular space, but the City of Lilburn has worked with us to facilitate productions in City Hall, and they even purchased some platforms for our use. We have a great partnership with Mt. Park United Methodist Church where we have a rehearsal room and a storage room. We also offer a kids’ summer drama camp each year in their youth room.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Please focus on Old Town Players rather than me in particular. I grew up in Lilburn, attending GACS and participating in drama there. I went on to study theatre in college for a couple of years as well as taking classes at local theatres in Atlanta. After years away from the stage, I ended up running the drama program at Lilburn’s Parkview Christian School, where my boys attended K-8. Once they flew the nest, I decided to try to start performing again. My first show in many years was “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at Tucker’s Main Street Theatre. They gave me such a warm welcome and fun experience that I began exploring the possibility of launching a community theatre group in Lilburn. I met Amy Valdez-Barker, who was in the early stages of launching CX Creative Spaces, and she welcomed me to establish the theatre arm of that organization.

Old Town Players’ debut consisted of soggy street theatre at Lilburn’s Christmas Parade in 2022, followed by “Murder in Old Town”, an original murder mystery performed in the old Apothecary on Main Street with food provided by 1910 Public House. Since then, our murder mysteries have been crowd favorites, but we have also presented classics like “Murder on the Nile” and “Plaza Suite” as well as edgier content like “1959 Pink Thunderbird”. Our upcoming production of “Exit Laughing” in September promises to be a side-splitting comedy with heart.

What does success mean to you?
First, we want to make everyone feel welcome. Performing to a sold out crowd is a great high, but the process is the good part. Collaborating with great people who are trusting each other to give their best and learning more about ourselves along the way is such a gift. The camaraderie of sharing a stage can’t be beat! Ultimately, though, we want to create community through our work and include our audiences in that circle as we share the unique experience of live theatre together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cxcreativespaces.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oldtownplayers_lilburnga/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oldtownplayers