Mark Hopper, executive director at McGregor Hall, wears several hats – in addition to overseeing the venue and its operation, Hopper is equally at home in the orchestra pit, directing musicians during a performance and directing actors on stage during rehearsals.
But he said one of the most rewarding things he gets to see is the effect the theater has on young performers.
“It’s rewarding, watching them grow as actors and artists – and as human beings,” Hopper said on Monday’s TownTalk. “I see something new every single night that we rehearse – it’s very rewarding to watch them grow daily.”
“McGregor Hall Live” kicked off the 2023-24 season with a two-weekend run of “Ragtime: The Musical” and, by all reports, it was a glowing success.
And while Hopper said he’s grateful for the kind words of theater critics, he said he tries to keep things in balance.
“To get that validation is really rewarding for the cast,” Hopper said. More importantly, though, he said he tried to impress upon the actors and crew – many of whom live outside the Henderson area – “what a really big deal this is.”
The “this” Hopper’s referring to is the whole McGregor Hall entity, which has proven itself to be a venue that host high-quality performances as well as a providing a destination for numerous other performance competitions. In short, McGregor Hall is fueling economic growth – all without financial support from either the city or county.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic impact study suggested that McGregor Hall drew about $3 million to the local area. Hopper said he’s confident that number will double when the current economic impact study numbers are released.
“I hope we continue the pattern of growth that we’ve had since COVID,” Hopper said, adding that after a year of being totally shut down with no live performances, McGregor Hall has had “a pretty remarkable rise from the ashes.”
He said that individuals have bought tickets from 209 different ZIP codes representing 21 states – people who are coming in to Henderson to spend money, eat in our restaurants and stay in our hotels, Hopper added. “If we stay on that arc, it’s going to be pretty exciting.”
Next up is a house-produced Christmas show in two parts, Hopper said. “We’re putting on a stage production ourselves…that features a lot of local and regional talent.” The first part is a shortened version of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” followed by a stage musical of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” complete with a live jazz trio.
Visit www.mcgregorhall.org to see the complete list of events scheduled.