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The Evolution of A Premiere Playhouse

or why you can't find a listing online when you search

In Columbus, Ohio, in the 1970's  APOGEE SINGERS, directed by pianist, singer, choral director Terry Bojanowski, performed musical revues at central Ohio events

ENTERTAINMENT ORIGINALS was

created in 1985 to produce the musicals of

Darryl Bojanowski (Dramatists Guild, BMI),

Terry's husband, at shopping malls throughout

the United States. After performing Terry's

Musical Revues and Darryl's Musicals in 26

states for five years, their hometown mall,

NewMarket, called to ask if Entertainment

Originals would produce a Family Theatre series

for the summer.  NewMarket had lost a lot of

tenants due to a new mega-mall opening in the

area, and they hoped that musical theatre might

bring back some traffic and tenants would want

to return. It worked!  In 1991 Entertainment

Originals created a summer series of six  mall musicals - expanded from the touring repertoire - and one new Bojanowski musical, "Hansel & Gretel" as the NEWMARKET SUMMER CHILDREN'S THEATRE.

Due to the success of the first summer, NewMarket Mall asked Entertainment Originals to continue producing musicals in 1992 as the NEWMARKET FAMILY THEATRE and, for the next four years, a total of forty Bojanowski original musicals, five Off-Broadway musicals, and one musical by another writer were produced - several of them more than once: ALL MUSICALS, ALL YEAR! Darryl was the Artistic Director and Writer for the theatre. Without spending a cent on marketing and with no social  media  at  the  time, almost  20,000  patrons a   year saw these musicals at NewMarket Mall. 

 

In the summer of 1993 the theatre name was changed to FAMILY THEATRE PLAYHOUSE at NewMarket Mall.   After   the  spring  and  summer   seasons  of  1994,  full-length   productions -  The ACT 2 Series - was added: full-length musicals, some of which were served as Dinner Theatre.  The FAMILY THEATRE Series    continued,    interspersed  with   the  ACT 2   musicals,   and   the  name   was   changed to A PREMIERE PLAYHOUSE since most of the shows were new musicals.  

Accomplishments 1991-1996

YOUNG ACTOR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

 
Children ages 7-14

auditioned to appear on stage with the adults;

Several now have theatre degrees and professional credits, Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours and Regional Theatres

PREMIERED a Reading Rainbow Family Musical

 
PRODUCED "By Strouse,' 

"Jerry's Girls," "Dames At Sea," "Song of Singapore," "Ruthless: The Musical"

DINNER THEATRE


Hosted a Comedy Troupe

Sweet Adelines Performance

Mall Promotions

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