Southern Breeze 2007 Holiday Issue

the thing s tory by KATHIE FARNELL the play’s C raige Hoover grew up vacationing in the Florida Panhandle near what is now the posh little town of Seaside. At some point he remembers thinking “What a great place for a theater!” Fast forward to the year 2000, when Craige returned to the area and discovered that no one had yet acted on his great idea. So the curtain went up on Seaside Repertory Theatre, with Craige, its founding artistic director, determined to build a world-class theater in the heart of this idyllic beach community. From the first show— The Fantasticks—in May 2001, the theater has grown yearly. In addition to live plays, Seaside Rep now offers a winter independent film festival, drama camp, and special events like the Gulf Coast Comedy Festival— to, as Craige says, “keep the space busy.” So busy, in fact, that annual attendance recently topped 25,000. The only professional theater company in the area, Seaside Rep keeps an extended company of actors, designers, and directors, allowing Craige to bring cast members back year after year, and to tailor material to performers. Craige and founding managing director Jennifer Steele Saunders are also performers. Craige has appeared in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, True West, and Greater Tuna and will reprise his Greater Tuna roles in the December 2007 production of A Tuna Christmas. Jennifer has been seen in Crimes of the Heart, The Last Five Years, and Always…Patsy Cline. Craige also directs—his credits include Star-Spangled Girl, Crimes of the Heart, and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. February 2006 saw the debut of the Seaside Independent Film Festival. Craige contacts independent filmmakers and selects films to screen during the event, with the aim of eventually expanding the festival into an outdoor event to be held in the summer. The Film Festival has proven successful enough to be scheduled annually, and Craige expects February 2008 to see an expanded lineup. Summer always brings an outdoor family-friendly offering; Beauty and the Beast was the summer production for 2007, presented twice a week to audiences averaging 800 to 900. The increasing numbers led to a decision to run 12 weeks of outdoor performances, six each at Seaside and nearby WaterColor, for Summer 2008. IMAGES BY KARIM SHAMSI-BASHA Practice makes perfect at Seaside Repertory Theatre (opposite) under the watchful eye of founders Jennifer Steele Saunders and Craige Hoover (above). Holiday 2007 59

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Southern Breeze 2007 Holiday Issue

Editor's Letter Contributor Gumbo Words & Notes Coastal Calendar Storefronts Sweet Dreams Art of Living Fixtures Our Backyard Make Yourself at Home Beach Bam! A Big Easy Christmas Upwardly Mobile Can't Drive Old Dixie Down Rock On! The Play's the Thing Cheers Dish Chef's Table Let's Eat Reader Services Last Bite

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