Suspend your disbelief at Arrow Rock’s historic venue
Looking for a weekend adventure close to home? Consider visiting the Village of Arrow Rock and taking in a show at the Lyceum Theatre. Founded in 1961, the Lyceum is one of the longest-running professional, regional theatres in Missouri, and was honored with the designation of “Missouri Historical Theatre” in 2019 — the first honoree of its kind in the state. The Lyceum was converted from a historic church into a theatrical space that seats 416 patrons in its auditorium and welcomes over 33,000 guests each year.
Quin Gresham, producing artistic director at the Lyceum, has had a long, distinguished career at the theatre, first as an actor, and now in his current role. In fact, he recently returned from New York City after conducting auditions for upcoming productions.
“It’s a shocking thing to me to say, when asked about my history with the theatre, that I’m now in my twentieth year. I never expected that to happen,” he said. Gresham came to the Lyceum right out of college in the 1990s, as an actor.
He explained, “I just fell in love with it. And one of the things I love most about the Lyceum is how unlikely it is. We have a theatre that can seat more than 400 people in a town of fifty-six people. Even when I was young and fresh-faced, I was still really moved by that.”
Laurie McConnell, marketing director at the Lyceum, is passionate about her duties. McConnell’s husband, Alan Knoll, has worked with the Lyceum for more than twenty years, serving as both actor and director for numerous productions, and McConnell has come to know both the team at the Lyceum and its patrons. And she agrees with Gresham: the Lyceum is magic.
“We’re a unicorn,” she laughed. “We just shouldn’t be allowed to exist, but somehow it manages to work, because everyone who works here, whether they’re full time or here seasonally, they really care about what they do.”
McConnell said that ultimately, the Lyceum is a rare bird, thriving both because of the people who make its magic, and because of the people who come to watch that magic happen.
“It’s very much a family, and we’re really grateful that the community around us feels so connected to us,” she said. “They take it very personally — it’s very important to them that we succeed, and so it’s doubly important to us that we serve them as well as we possibly can.”
Each production presents an opportunity to retell and reinvent stories new and old, Gresham said.
“That’s the big thing about what we do, about what artists do,” Gresham explained. “Every time we turn around, it’s a new, ground-up project. I’m often asked, ‘What’s a normal day like for you,’ and I have to say, ‘I have no idea.’”
Every season presents a new team to bring a unique perspective to storytelling, he added, and the process and result are always different.
“That’s the real magic in what we do,” he said. “Reinvention.” He said he makes creative choices both to bring new faces into the audience, and to welcome back the regulars.
McConnell agrees.
“There are some folks who’ve been coming here for six decades,” she said. “We have multiple generations within families that have been coming to [the Lyceum] since the very beginning. And then sometimes we meet people at an event, like Art in the Park, and they’ll say, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve never heard of you before,’ so they come see a show, and they fall in love with the village, fall in love with the Lyceum, and they keep coming back, and hopefully become regulars.”
Both Gresham and McConnell frequently used the word “magic” when talking about how the Lyceum operates, and they’re both always amazed to watch that magic happen.
“I’m so proud of the quality of our productions,” McConnell said. “It’s so easy to talk about our shows, and about the quality of the people who work here. I’ve also been so impressed with how they work with donor dollars. There’s everything in the world to admire about this organization, so my job is pretty easy: people come, they see the shows and how amazing they are, and they want to come back, and to bring their friends.”
McConnell said that the joy created in the Lyceum is infectious, and she’s not immune.
“I will go to see opening night of every production and watch the show,” she said, “but then I’ll sneak back in as often as I can to subsequent performances, just to watch the audience. Because there’s nothing more fun than watching 400 people laugh at the same time. There’s nothing more fun than seeing 400 people gasp together when some mystery is solved. There’s nothing more fun than watching the little ones walk out, singing, and dancing, and twirling. When you have 400 people around you, having the same shared experience, it’s so special.”
Gresham agreed and added that the quality of each show is further enhanced by the community that experiences it, together.
“The most important character in every play is the audience,” Gresham said.
Single tickets, season subscriptions, flex packs, and group tickets are currently on sale. McConnell said the theatre broke records when single tickets became available in March.
“We want to have the absolute best productions, the best talent, finding the best designers, finding the best technicians to run the sound, and the lights, and work backstage — it’s an honor for us to have so many talented people who have come here,” McConnell said. “Both our [in-house people and patrons] come here, and fall in love with the village, with the Lyceum, and they come back again and again.”
To learn more about buying tickets, donating, or supporting the theatre’s mission, visit the Lyceum’s website, or contact their team via social media, on Facebook, or Instagram.
The 2024 season at the Lyceum Theatre:
42nd Street
June 7 – June 16
Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville
June 28 – July 7
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
July 19 – July 28
Noises Off
August 17 – August 25
Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure
September 6 – September 15
Million Dollar Quartet September 27 – October 6
A Christmas Carol December 13 – December 22
The tenth anniversary showing at the Lyceum Theatre.
The Lyceum Theatre
114 High Street, Arrow Rock, MO
660-837-3311
LyceumTheatre.org
