Garfield: Celebrating 50 years of Aspen Community Theatre

In our ever-changing valley, I find myself holding tightly to the people, places and institutions that remind me there really is “no place like home.” For me, one organization has always embodied that feeling: Aspen Community Theatre.

This year, ACT celebrates its 50th anniversary. My mother, Rita Hunter, became involved with ACT around the time I was born, so the volunteer actors and crew have always felt like extended family, and the Wheeler and School District theaters like second homes.

But my story is only one of many. Over the past five decades, more than 2,000 locals have found connection, creativity, confidence and friendship through ACT, whether onstage, in the orchestra, backstage or in the audience. Generations of families, including my own, have been shaped by ACT and the community it creates.

Of course, community theatre only exists because of community support. ACT has thrived thanks to the dedication of volunteers, the encouragement of families and employers, generous grants from the Aspen Thrift Shop and the City of Aspen, individual contributions large and small and audiences who come to cheer on their friends and neighbors.

As the current president of ACT’s volunteer Board of Directors, I would love to invite everyone to celebrate our legacy — from ruby slippers to glass slippers and everything in between — at “Our Favorite Things: 50th Anniversary Concert” on Saturday, May 30, at 7 p.m. at the Aspen School District Theatre, followed by a post-show reception. We are also welcoming ACT alumni to a reunion gathering at Home Team on Sunday at 2 p.m.

These events are our way of saying thank you to the community that has sustained ACT for 50 years and made it a place where generations of locals have found a sense of belonging, friendship and home.

Christy Garfield

Aspen