We’re just connecting the dots
WINTER TEXAN Volume 10 • Issue 5 November 13, 2024
Your Connection to the Rio Grande Valley
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Ric’s cover story in this issue made me want to stand up and sing, “Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain…” How can anyone see Oklahoma without singing along? And how can we get through December without watching A Christmas Carol? Seeing it live, at a community theatre like Camille Lightner Playhouse, makes it even better. I often think about the time everyone involved dedicates to these productions. It is their love for theatre that inspires them to volunteer their time and talents to entertain and inspire us. The Rio Grande Valley is blessed to have a wide variety of arts events throughout the year, from highschool productions to annual city events, mariachi performances, ballet and folklorico, and community theatre. Be sure to browse the Welcome Home RGV calendar frequently so you don’t miss any of them! In addition to the cover story, this issue provides you with opportunities to give, learn, line dance, have breakfast like the ranch hands, and discover how the Valley rings in the holidays. We’re just connecting the dots…
Thank You
SEASON SPONSORS 2024-2025
The casts of productions at The Camille Playhouse are chosen after auditions, and Winter Texans are welcome to try out for roles and to volunteer in support roles. [Courtesy photos]
Brownsville Theater Sharpens Appeal to Winter Texans Story by Ric Cavazos
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randon Binder analyzed last season’s attendance at the Camille Lightner Playhouse and came away with an important conclusion. “We had lower numbers from Winter Texans,” said Binder, the theater’s artistic director. “Winter Texans made up 30 percent of our audience.” Binder and Camille’s leadership figured the iconic Brownsville theater should be more of a draw in the Rio Grande Valley’s Winter Texan community. The theater’s advertising and marketing campaigns have been revised and sharpened to focus on the Winter Texan market. “We know they’re seeking
things to do and events to attend,” said Martie DiGregorio, who chairs the theater’s board of directors. “Community theaters are nationwide. Winter Texans may have had previous exposure to them, and we’re happy to go to them and explain the services and shows we offer.” On The Comeback The Camille Playhouse is an institution in Brownsville. Community theater in the city got its start in 1963 at a vacant cotton sampling warehouse on Central Boulevard. It moved the following year to its present location at Dean Porter Park. A new fa-
cility was built there and named to honor the memory of Camille Sams Lightner. She was the sister of Gladys Sams Porter, who is the namesake of the famed zoo across the street from the theater on Ringgold Road. The theater has endured ever since. Productions throughout the years are displayed with show posters hung in Camille’s second stage grand room. Its biggest challenge may have come in 2020 and 2021 with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the limitations placed on public gatherings. The Playhouse is still on the mend from those years.
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