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After 40 years of professional and educational theater, Lyle Dye picked
North Creek to retire to in 1996 so that he could have a quiet,
relaxing place for his life–away from theater. But once he connected
with other residents who were eager to create theater that was
entertaining, good, and local, his life has been filled with nothing
but theater, in the form of North Creek’s Our Town Theatre Group which
he founded in that same year.
In its seven years of existence, OTTG has gone from the original 6-7
people at monthly meetings to an average of at least 25-30. OTTG
began with a sort of docudrama on Teddy Roosevelt that Lyle wrote for a
cast of five. Their recent Annual Holiday Celebration included over 100
performers and 25 backstage and front-of-house volunteers. They now do
a season consisting of a full production, a Christmas Variety Show, a
film/discussion series, acting & directing
workshops, readings and fully staged readings, guest appearances
from Glens Falls to Blue Mountain Lake, and hosting Pendragon Theatre
and Seagle Colony in North Creek.
Now a resident group in North Creek’s brand new, state of the art
Tannery Pond Community Center, OTTG has experienced much new growth. In
addition to many new audience members, many people are now anxious to
perform with OTTG because they want to perform at TPCC. The relatively
new theater group has enjoyed a sense of dignity and permanence because
of their storage space, dressing rooms with showers, a proper front
curtain, a control booth, and all the other accessories of professional
theaters.
Lyle asses the impact of community theater this way: “Working in
theater allows people to discover a lot about themselves that they
hadn't realized, and an association with theatre can actually change
your life and personality.” And you can't discount the fact that it's a
thrill for friends and neighbors and family to watch THEIR friends and
neighbors and family perform!
OTTG will be sponsoring a film and discussion
series in January and February at Tannery Pond Community Center. Check
the calendar pages for times and shows. | 
