NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Oct. 6, 2009

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov

GOOD TIMES COMMUNITY THEATRE TO RECEIVE
GOVERNOR’S ARTS AWARD

Oklahoma City, OK – Good Times Community Theatre, Poteau, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 34th Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. Good Times Community Theatre will receive the Arts & Education Award that recognizes an individual, organization, school, educator or group for their outstanding leadership and service in the arts benefitting youth and/or arts in education. Accepting the award will be Good Times Community Theatre President Mandy Townley.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and five organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 20th in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Kym Koch Thompson and Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Suzanne Tate. A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.

Good Times Community Theatre began 36 years ago when the High School Drama teacher, Norma Smith, saw a need for a community theatre in Poteau. After her students graduated high school, they had no outlet for their theatrical talents. After a series of successful productions including Fiddler on the Roof and Godspell, the Theatre became a viable artistic force in the community. For the people of Leflore County, the organization has been offering consistent productions to enjoy for the past decade. 

Currently in its most productive period, the group offers four productions a year (primarily musicals such as The Wizard of Oz) as well as a two-week day camp for children ages five to 15. Realizing that education is key to building any organization, the Good Times Community Theatre puts a lot of energy into Camp Bravo, teaching its students about the various elements that go into putting on a production: music, acting, dance, and design. In five years, the size of the camp has grown from 25 campers in 2004 to 150 in 2009. A number of the campers audition for a spot in Bravo Gold, a section of the camp that puts on a show at the end of three weeks.  The Gold troupe has produced Seussical, the Musical, Jr.  and Alice in Wonderland, Jr. with great success the past two years.

Over the past decade, Good Times Community Theatre has drawn a larger following each year and becomes a bigger part of their community every year.

A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at anndee@arts.ok.gov.

ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL

The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.

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