Musical Theatre Southwest On Healing Path

A large fire recently devastated Albuquerque's musical theater company:

As devastating as it was to lose a half-century’s worth of costumes, props and archives in a warehouse inferno, there was never any doubt at Musical Theatre Southwest that, yes, the show would go on.

“The second the fire happened, we called a board meeting and decided within minutes that we were going forward,” says MTS Board President William R. Stafford. “We needed to get the crowds back to see that we’re back.”

Rising from the ashes meant extensive fundraising and outside-the-box planning to complete work on Thoroughly Modern Millie (the second of three productions in the 2010 season) for its three-week run. As fate would have it, Millie—adapted from a 1967 movie musical starring Julie Andrews—was an auspicious choice.

“It’s a good comeback for us because it’s an upbeat dance show,” Stafford says. “It’s about hope and renewal.”

According to director Terry S. Davis, Millie’s cast and crew rose to the challenge.
“The fire galvanized everybody into saying, OK, this will be a better show, a more special show, than perhaps even what we’d already committed to in our own minds,” says Davis. “This company has not only survived the fire but come back with an incredible energy and a fierce determination to make more great theater.”