Former Mystique Theater now open as Palace Playhouse
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CHUBBUCK – The Mystique Theater has dropped its name after 14 years and is now the Palace Playhouse.
New owners John Bidwell and his wife, Trudy, have not only renamed the theater, but added fresh paint, new lighting, and a box office.
“We are trying to take the look of the building outside, which is kind of castle-y, and we’ve named it the Palace Playhouse, trying to let people know that it’s a playhouse,” John Bidwell said. “You can come and have a good time.”
The Palace Playhouse seats around 150 people. The front rows of tables are placed comfortably within inches of the stage, allowing audience members to have an up close experience with every performance.
After people come in and enter the redesigned lobby, they will be escorted to an anteroom while they wait to be seated. When it is time to take their seats members of the audience will go through a concession area that will have all sorts of goodies, including Trudy Bidwell’s special homemade fudge on a stick.
“We hope that those people who have come to the Mystique for years and years will want to come back because of the experiences they’ve had, but we also hope that when they walk in the door and see this illuminated lobby they’ll say, ‘Oh,’ and (we’ll) say, ‘Welcome to the palace,’ and away we go!” he said.
The Palace Playhouse will continue to carry services offered by the Mystique, including dinner and a show. Bidwell said the Mystique Theater specialized in showing musicals, but now they want to expand the performances to other genres like comedy.
Traditionally performances were held on Monday, Friday, and Saturday and ran the production for six to eight weeks. The Palace Playhouse will hold performances Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and run a show for four weeks.
Show-only nights will be Wednesday, and dinner is offered Thursday through Saturday. The first three shows of each production are called Hamilton nights, Bidwell said.
“They can come and they can get in for the price of a Hamilton, $10 bill. A lot of places they’d be called preview nights, but we are hoping our show is up and ready,” Bidwell said.
Bidwell said the community theater depends on volunteer actors ranging from all types of backgrounds with any level of experience. He said he is looking for performers who do it because they enjoy it. Members of the Playhouse Company also serve as waiters and waitresses to the audience.
“We love people who love theater,” Bidwell said.
Ellen Loomis-Roberts, the marketing director, has been instrumental in many productions at the Mystique Theater.
“The community is called upon to support places like Palace Playhouse in more than just purchasing tickets. I think the community needs these types of resources, needs this type of art,” Loomis-Roberts said.
Bidwell said they aim to keep the Palace Playhouse family oriented.
“People can feel safe when they come to the Palace Playhouse. They can come, they can bring their kids,they can bring their friends. Everybody is going to come away with a good time.” Bidwell said.
To find out more about Palace Playhouse Productions go to its Facebook page, or website.