In the recent past, only a few blocks in New York City’s West Forties and a few other metropolitan areas offered the opportunity to experience first-rate musical theatre.
These days, top-rate musical theatre has sprung from its narrow geographical confines — and you only have to look as far as Bowling Green to see a thriving musical theatre culture.
The Ramsey Theatre Company is a new endeavor, one of two resident theatre companies of the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center (SKyPAC). The other, BG OnStage, is the kids’ theatre company.
Diane DiCroce is also new — just beginning her duties as the company’s producing artistic director. DiCroce is, as she says, an actor first, but her grounding in theatre is about as extensive as it gets, with a background in national tours and Broadway. She was in the cast of “Les Miserables” for several years in New York as part of the original closing company, as well as in the cast of the national tour. She has also completed two consecutive back-to-back tours of “My Fair Lady” and “42nd Street,” both nationally and internationally. Between those shows, she performed in summer stock in regional theatres around the New York metro area and in New England. Fittingly, she and her husband of 28 years met in summer stock in New Hampshire.
DiCroce is steeped in the rigors of theatre — not just as a director and actor — but has also served as company manager, dance captain, assistant props person, and worked the wardrobe and costume side of things, most recently with “The Lion King” in preproduction for the Toronto and Mexico City companies. An essential academic facet of her experience is that she has taught for several bachelor of fine arts musical theatre programs, including New York’s Pace University and Boston’s Emerson College.
DiCroce began her intensive involvement with the Ramsey Theatre Company as a creative and production consultant for “Cinderella” this past summer, which led to an offer to direct this fall’s production of “Grease.” She said this turned into an offer to take on this new leadership position, bringing in her vast, eclectic wealth of experience in musical theatre.
The Ramsey Theatre Company evolved from a growing audience interest in Broadway musicals and a generous gift from Robert P. Ramsey to produce professional-level musical theatre to serve the area. The company has a managing director, stage manager, scenic designer, and props master. DiCroce holds a supervisory role — along with her directing duties — and weighs in heavily on what shows the company will undertake and who they’ll cast. “The Wizard of Oz” is slated for next year, as is the musical “Floyd Collins,” based on the real-life death of famed cave explorer Collins in 1925. Collins’ ordeal is considered the nation’s first media circus. That real-life incident occurred near Bowling Green, so the tale has a unique local resonance — and an uncommon perspective. “Floyd Collins” is also being revived at New York’s Lincoln Center this spring, putting the Ramsey Theatre Company in a very distinctive slot.
The Bowling Green theatre community, DiCroce relates, has been wonderful — a welcoming and friendly community and the chance to work with dedicated, enthusiastic colleagues. Bowling Green is also a very generous community that is more than willing to support the various theatre initiatives.
There are many reasons to be enthusiastic. SKyPAC has amazing facilities that many theatres in the Northeast — in DiCroce’s words — “would give their eyeteeth for!” SKyPAC’s offerings and resources are uncommonly extensive for what is, after all, a small city. There is the Ramsey Theatre Company, Orchestra Kentucky, and BG OnStage, all of which are part of the nonprofit Arts of Southern Kentucky (ASK). An education department within ASK also does outreach and initiatives with all the local schools. A thriving theatre scene has tangible benefits in terms of community improvement. Theatre attendance enhances surrounding businesses — people eat and drink before and after performances.
Bowling Green, DiCroce concludes, is a wonderful place to be a part of. It is no small endeavor to bring a first-rate musical theatre to Bowling Green. A considerable amount of effort and talent goes into this, plus the not-insubstantial support of a receptive community. And one gets the strong feeling that Diane DiCroce and the Ramsey Theatre Company are just getting started. Curtain up! GN
