End of an era

The final dissolution of the Beyond the Proscenium Productions, a venerable and well-loved community theater company, was last week. According to Ann Tracy, a company principal and founding director, it took some time to sort through all the financial obligations and close out the nonprofit. However, all is done, and BPP’s leadership decided to donate the remaining funds to another local theatre company, Big Idea Theatre, as a way of passing the torch. It’s a good opportunity, though, to look back on all the fine work that Beyond the Proscenium did in a run that lasted from 1994 to 2009, beginning with erotic poetry brought to life in Dancing With Desire: A Poetic Fandango With the Erotic and the Bawdy, and finally wrapping up with Variations on Betrayal: An Allegory for Five Colorful Clowns. The commitment to edgy and original works left an indelible mark on the local theatrical scene, and the loss of the troupe is only mitigated by the new work of its individual members, who have now fanned out across the artistic community.