Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

When we interviewed actor/director and all-round thespian, Jimmy Moore, back in 2021, he said he couldn’t be happier to be back in San Antonio after years of pursuing theater opportunities elsewhere.
He was thrilled to be invited to helm the Classic Theater of San Antonio as its new artistic director.
“I Have been wanting to get back to San Antonio pretty much from the day I left,” he said back then in late When 2021. He was familiar with the Classic since he had been cast in “12^th Night by Diane Malone, one of the co-founders of the company.

Today, he says he is still happy to be in San Antonio, his home town, but a lot has changed in the theater community since his arrival.

“I still feel happy to be here in San Antonio but the theater scene has changed so much,” he said in a recent interview in the lobby of the San Pedro Playhouse. Instead of being the leader of the Classic, he is currently the artistic director of two companies – The Public Theater of San Antonio and the Classic Theater of San Antonio. Change indeed!

“I still feel grateful to have been given the opportunity to run the Classic, and now, to be a part of the leadership team here, at the Public which is housed in the historic San Pedro Playhouse,” he noted.

 When he took over as the leader of the Classic in Dec. 2021, the company had already let go of its performance space in the Woodlawn Theater building and had started to stage shows outdoors at the Botanical Garden and other places. But, in addition to dealing with numerous challenges of outdoor production, it became obvious to him that audiences wanted to go back to an indoor, traditional theater space. The company spent more than a year looking for an adequate space while performing in other spaces in town like the Carver Community Cultural Center, the Maverick-Carter House and the Radius Center.

He saw a new opportunity open up when the Public’s last artistic director, Claudia de Vasco, left town after her short-lived tenure at the Public Theater.

“I approached the Public to ask if the Classic could perform in the smaller, downstair Cellar Theater,” explained Moore. “And pretty soon those conversations spiraled into talk about me becoming the artistic director of both companies.”

The money was raised through “very, very hard work” of the leadership team, which, in addition to Moore, now includes Asia Ciaravino, as president and CEO, Christina Casella as managing director and Rick Sanchez as marketing director. Support came from the City of San Antonio, the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts and many generous private donors. But he admits that there was a moment of panic. “We were in the middle of producing “Merrily We Roll Along” which was a large show and very challenging one for this theater (The Public), while I was still managing the Classic. And, at the same time, I was also going through personal tragedy as I lost my grandparents this summer. There was definitely a moment of panic. We had to trust our skills and trust each other to come together to produce that musical.”

“I want to emphasize that it would not have been possible without that hard work by Asia and Christina, who are both development professionals, and have strong contacts and strong resources to help this organization get into the next chapter of its story,” explained Moore emphatically. “And I hope that I assisted them by choosing shows that they were proud to sell to the community, shows like “Merrily We Roll Along,” 

In addition, he’s proud of succeeding to affiliate the Classic with a company and a building (San Pedro Playhouse) “that San Antonians are never going to let go away.”

 “This theater and this building are part of San Antonio,” he said. “For many San-Antonians, the San Pedro Playhouse is the place where they saw their first play or musical.” He also confirmed that the goal is to make the current situation permanent by fusing the two companies into one, and he also mentioned that the Cellar Theater may be renamed “The Classic Theater.”
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                                                                   Upcoming shows

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry: The iconic drama explores the dreams, struggles and resilience of a Black family living on the south side of Chicago in1950. A reviewer described it in these words: “Hansberry’s defining work may not be radical in form, but it remains a landmark of radical truth-telling in the theater.” (Feb.8-25, 2024; The Classic Theater production in the smaller Cellar Theater.)

Midsummer Sueno, a Latinx adaptation by Paco Farias of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Musical arrangements by Jaime Ramirez. (co-produced by the Public and the Classic Theater; April 9-14, 2024; a limited six-show run, Russell Hill Rogers Theater, the larger, upstairs space)

West Side Story, by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents; Based on Romeo and Juliet. Just like its inspiration, this is a tale of young love between two teenagers from opposing gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, on the streets of New York. Lots of great music and dancing.
(May 10-June 2; Russell Hill Rogers Theater)

The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowly; it’s described as “a groundbreaking play that delves into the complexities of identity and relationships within the LGBTQ+ community. (June 6 – 23, 2024; a production of the Classic Theater of San Antonio performed in the Cellar Theater)

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. It’s the familiar musical where dreams come to life. Young Dorothy embarks on a quest to find the elusive Wizard after a tornado transports her to the magical land of Oz. (July 12-Aug.4, 2024, Russel Hill Rogers Theater)
The San Pedro Playhouse is at 800 W. Ashby, 78212; 210-733-7258, https://thepublicsa.org