It’s safe to say some pretty big changes are taking place at the Fountain Hills Theater.

The theater has been operating out of a building provided by the Town of Fountain Hills for many years. This past March, the Town sold the building to the theater, which has apparently spurred on a number of alterations.

It seems that with ownership comes a newfound motivation and sense of purpose for the group that has been entertaining the community for decades.

According to the 1A story in this week’s edition of The Times, the theater’s board decided that it was time to take a new direction. Not to fret, longtime theater-goers, as that does not mean the theater will be doing away with its regular crop of programming. Instead, the offerings will be getting a similar facelift that the building itself is undergoing at this time.

It sounds like the plan is to broaden the scope of productions, bringing in independent contractors and potentially visiting or experimental productions.

Executive director Suzu Henderson spoke to the success of the recent production put on by Patrick Russo, performing as Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli back in January. According to Henderson, the reception of that show proved to the board that the theater’s “audiences are ready for something new and different and outside the traditional box.”

We look forward to seeing where this new direction takes the theater and what types of new programs might be joining its regular roster.