This week the MONTGOMERY COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY announces its 32nd season, with all acts scheduled in downtown Conroe’s Crighton Theatre, except a bonus show expected to be in The Ark Church Dec. 13.

The regular season includes BENISE, JUICE NEWTON, KEVIN SPIRTAS, YOUNG TEXAS ARTISTS MUSIC COMPETITION and CONCERT, RHYTHMIC CIRCUS, BILLY MCGUIGAN and ANDREA MARCOVICCI. Bonus show, THE TEXAS TENORS, is Dec. 13.

On Oct. 16, Benise (Bu-ness-say) comes to the Crighton Theatre, 234 North Main, with his widely acclaimed World Music and Dance Production, "The Spanish Guitar."  Described as "nouveau Spanish flamenco," it offers world music that includes salsa, tango, and samba "underscored by African tribal rhythms."

Country-pop-rock singer Juice Newton comes to the Crigton on Nov. 20. Born in New Jersey in 1952, she won a Grammy Award in 1983, plus many Billboard top 100s, as well as gold and platinum records. 1983’s "Angel of the Morning" and "Queen of Hearts" are among Newton’s notables, as are tours with country band Alabama and similar pairings.

Kevin Spirtas, scheduled Jan. 15, also known as Kevin Blair, appeared in a multitude of movies and was a longtime character, Dr. Craig Wesley, on "The Days of our Lives." This dancer/singer began as a song and dance man, with Broadway roles in "A Chorus Line" as well as "Meet Me in St. Louis," among numerous others.

The Young Texas Artists Music Competition and Concert is highly regarded internationally for recognizing and encouraging classical musicians who have ties to Texas, either as residents or through studying in a Texas institution. It comes to the Crighton March 12 for its 27 time.

March 19, MCPAS presents Rhythmic Circus in "Feet Don’t Fail Me Now." With emphasis on tap dancing, this group is known for "hard hitting tap, high spirited humor, and finger snapping tunes." Other descriptive phrases are "funky, edgy, and explosive."

Billy McGuigan arrives April 8. Best known for 375 appearances as Buddy Holly in that recognized tribute show, McGuigan is sometimes applauded as the "most talented vocal impressionist in the U. S." After six weeks in post-Katrina New Orleans, he released a personal album, "Billy as Billy," so named because of the impersonations he is reputed for.  McGuigan’s Crighton presentation will be "Yesterday and Today," an interactive Beatles show where audience members participate by suggesting favorite Beatles songs.

The season ends May 28 with the long awaited performance of ANDREA MARCOVICCI, the "Queen of Cabaret." According to United Press International, she is "the most incandescent of cabaret stars in a spellbinding evening of music." For this spectacular she chose love songs of World War II, representing some of America’s most revered song writers, including Hoagy Carmichael, Jules Styne, and Johnny Mercer. It will be an evening of "Sentimental Journey," "The White Cliffs of Dover" and "Skylark," among other all time favorites.

The bonus show, The Texas Tenors, is not part of the regular MCPAS season, but season ticket holders will be able to purchase tickets close to half price for this performance at the Ark Church.

STAGE RIGHT is preparing for the next comedy - No Time for Sergeants. For this show we are partnering with the Lone Star Honor Flight group based at the Storage 105 facility off 105 in Conroe. Click here to see a youtube video of one of the honor flights to Washington D.C. by Craig Duff.  Craig has also given us permission to publish his documentary blog on one of the honor flights.  Look for the article in September's DockLine magazine.

We met with some of the World War II veterans and joined them on their trip to the HEARTS museum in Huntsville. The veterans are excited about coming to see No Time for Sergeants. They will be the guests of honor at a benefit performance on Sunday, September 12, 2010.  All veterans and their spouses will be given complimentary tickets provided they call the Box Office at 936-441-SHOW prior to Sept. 6 AND bring items to support our active duty troops.

We will be collecting items to benefit our troops through the US Troop Support Foundation. Come enjoy No Time for Sergeants, meet some veterans, thank them for their service, and bring some items to help our troops overseas! Performances are September 10-26, 2010. Call the Box Office at 936-441-7469 (SHOW).

Listen to KSTAR to catch the public service announcements (PSAs) on the special performance of No Time for Sergeants on Sunday, Sept. 12!

Stage Right announces its third season lineup:

No Time for Sergeants by Ira Levin - A southern comedy about a country bumpkin drafted into the Air Force originally starring Andy Griffith. Performances are on Sept. 10-26, 2010 with auditions on June 27 (3 PM) and June 28, 2010 (7 PM).

Christmas Belles by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten - The laugh-out-loud comedy with a touch of "The Golden Girls" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Performances are on Dec. 3-19, 2010 with auditions on Oct. 17-18, 2010.

Always Patsy Cline - The music of Patsy Cline with the comic story of her friendship with a Houston fan. Written and orginally directed by Ted Swindley. Based on a TRUE STORY. Performances are on Feb. 11-Mar. 6, 2011 with auditions TBA.  Send an mp3 with "Crazy" and a headshot to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Harvey by Mary Chase - The story is about a man whose best friend is a six foot rabbit. James Stewart played the lead in the 1950's movie. Performances are on Apr. 22-May 8, 2011 with auditions on Feb. 20-21, 2011.

The Music Man by Meredith Wilson - Robert Preston originally played a boys' band organizer and leader that sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town. Performances are on Jul. 15-31, 2011 with auditions on May 15-16, 2011.

Audition dates are subject to change. Download the season rackcard and call the Box office at 936-441-7469 today!

The Crighton hosted the incredibly talented Young Texas Artists AND a trio of authors who know southern comedy very well.  Internationally produced and currently recognized as the three most widely produced comedic playwrights in America - Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten - came to the Crighton for a visit. STAGE RIGHT audiences may recall that our highly popular productions of CHRISTMAS BELLES and SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY presented last season were written by Jones, Hope and Wooten. Additionally, DEARLY BELOVED, which will be presented in April of this year, is also a Jones, Hope & Wooten play and is actually the first part of the hilarious trilogy of the Futrelle sisters of Fayro, Texas.

Yes, it is that time again!  Season ticket renewals for the 2010-2011 season are now available for all the resident groups at the Crighton!  See the 2010-2011 season now!  Call the Box Office at 936-441-7469 (SHOW) if you are impatient and want to renew now!

The resident production groups at the historic Crighton Theatre in downtown Conroe are: the Montgomery County Performing Arts Society (MCPAS), The Sounds of Texas, and STAGE RIGHT.  If you just want information in a timely fashion, sign up for the newsletter!

MCPAS is celebrating their 31th anniversary! MCPAS seeks to foster an appreciation of and provide opportunities to experience cultural live professional entertainment in the fields of musical arts, dance, and theatre.  This year MCPAS hosted The Capitol Steps, Southern Fried Jazz Band, Marvin Hamlisch, and the Missoula Children's Theatre to name a few of the groups.  MCPAS also hosts special events such as Mardi Gras and the Mimosas in May Luncheon

The Sounds of Texas Music Series is one of several events sponsored by the Friends of Conroe, Inc.  The music series is designed to bring local and national attention to the downtown area and the Historic Crighton Theatre while providing quality concerts to the citizens of Montgomery County.

STAGE RIGHT is a new non-profit theatre group dedicated to bringing family friendly entertainment to the historic Crighton Theatre.  Their vision is to promote a more supportive greater Houston arts scene by being a good corporate citizen and collaborating with other theatre groups on joint projects.  See the line-up for the 2010-2011 season!

Other groups have performed at the Crighton in the past including Covenant Christian, the Statesmen Chorus and the Players.  Be on the lookout for new groups including Center Stage Dance and Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) to be joining the Crighton family!

There are many other neighboring theatres that put on quality shows.  Visit our website to find out what other theatres are doing!

The historic Crighton Theatre turns 75th this year!  As part of the celebration we are collecting pictures and stories about your memories of the Crighton Theatre.  Upload your pictures and share your stories with others!  If you are unable to upload your pictures or want to talk to someone in person, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it us to set up an appointment.

For the 75th anniversary the Crighton Theatre Foundation has launched a $750,000 capital campaign to fund improvements to the Crighton Theatre. The improvements will make it more competitive as we seek to book popular performances and events.  The restoration will upgrade technical specifications, replace the theatre seating, refresh the lobby and improve backstage spaces.

Feel free to download an electronic copy of the brochure detailing the capital campaign benefiting the theatre and the Crighton Community Players.  If you would like to talk to someone about donating to the renovation fund cal Jim Bingham at 936-441-7469.

As we started to collect stories and memorabilia for the Crighton Theatre History Project we realized we were starting to collect stories about more than just the early days of the Crighton. 
At first the project began as an outgrowth of junior high school requirements to interview a veteran.  The effort has evolved into a part of the community effort to record stories from our veterans before their stories are lost.  For instance, the Veterans Museum of Texas collects memorabilia and stories.

If you are interested in the stories of our veterans, find out more below.

Melvin P. Craig

Albert Spencer

The historic Crighton Theatre is celebrating its 75th birthday. In honor of the 75th anniversary STAGE RIGHT - in cooperation with the Crighton Theatre Foundation and the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County - has started gathering pictures, posters, stories, documents, and other memorabilia that chronicle the diversity and richness of the Crighton theatre history.

The purpose of the project is to document and save the history of the Crighton Theatre for future generations. STAGE RIGHT will do this by:

• Collecting and scanning pictures of events and people
• Transcribing stories and memories
• Photographing artifacts, playbills, posters, and other physical objects related to the Crighton
• Creating a video and book dedicated to the history of the Crighton

A living history is being prepared and proceeds will fund restorations for the theater built in the 1930’s.

Christmas at the Crighton brought a trio of events.  From the irreverent but hilarious Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge to the smooth sounds of David Gaschen (the Phantom) to the well known Texas swing artists Asleep at the Wheel, Crighton enthusiasts had much to choose from.

The mesmerizing duo of Brian FitzGerald and Martin McCormack, known as Switchback came to the Crighton on November 14th. These award-winning musicians entertain audiences large and small around the world with their unique American Roots music blended with Celtic Soul, plus a nod toward several other genres. This concert is a true treat for music lovers of all ages. Wherever they play, no matter the size or age of audience, Switchback always captivates and charms folks with their energy and creativity!

Bravo Company held their showcase on Saturday , Nov. 7 at 2:30 PM.  You missed a great opportunity to see raw talent in the formation stage.  The younger kids did several montages together as a group while the older kids wrote and acted in their own original pieces.

Put "Ever After" scheduled at the end of May on your calendars.  This will be Bravo Company's spring play.  You will likely see kids like Ian (on the right) in "Ever After".  Ian was also in the summer show "Cheaper by the Dozen".

Touring North America for their first time ever, British folk rock artists Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Thompson brought their show to the Crighton Theatre on November 8th. Long time friends and collaborators have performed and recorded together several times over the years, but have never joined forces onstage until now! Richard Thompson has been proclaimed "the greatest guitarist in British folk rock" and one of the World's Top 20 Guitarists by Rolling Stone magazine. He is also the recipient of a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. Loudon Wainwright has had his songs covered by many prestigious artists and has had a diverse career in film acting and collaborating on the soundtrack for the film "Knocked Up."  You missed a historic moment in the making!

MCPAS brought Bella Sorella to the Crighton on October 30th.  Magnificent sopranos, Nova and Susanna Jiménez, with piano and violin accompaniment are an award-winning ensemble that combines classical and contemporary styles in melodic and powerful duets. Bella Sorella’s unique music, magnetic stage presence and remarkable personal story has earned them acclaimed recognition throughout America and abroad.

STAGE RIGHT brought Vaudeville (Finally) Comes the Crighton from Sept. 11-27, 2009.  You missed a family friendly event that included fan dancing, singing, comedy sketches, magicians, and more!.  Read more about the event here.  See the article in the September issue of DockLine Magazine or the interview on Channel 55!

You also missed "The Princess and the Pea" by the Missoula Children's Theatre in cooperation with MCPAS.  We'll be putting excerpts from the show on the Crighton Youtube channel in the coming weeks.

The newest group at the Crighton is CYT who brought Robin Hood on October 23, 24, and 25.You missed a great cast and an awesome set!