Organizers seek more memories
By Eric A Thomas
At the end of 2015 — after 42 years — Jacksonville Theatre Guild closed its doors. Countless hours of dedication went into producing the 260 plus shows for the surrounding area. There is now a website dedicated to the work that made JTG possible.
Several years ago, yours truly was looking through all I collected from my involvement with this community theater group. There were countless snapshots, cast pictures, T-shirts, posters and programs. I figured I could not be the only one who was holding on to the memories through various items. After checking around with a few people, I realized that maybe there was a way to assemble everything in one place so that others could enjoy the 42 years of memories. The idea of a JTG online scrapbook was born.
The call went out via Facebook and The Source. All of the memorabilia started making its way into my hands either through loaning it to me so that I could scan or take pictures of or receiving electronic files. To date, 71 individuals have provided material items, historical knowledge and financial support to enable the creation of www.jtgmemories.org.
By searching for programs from the various productions, cast lists and production staff for each show provided starting information. Another source of information was the 25th anniversary book compiled by Roger Deem and Elaine Smith Mead. In addition, the programs gave other information that was used on the website.
The website contains the history shared in the Deem/Mead book, the names of those who have served on the board of directors, those businesses that purchased advertisements in the programs, businesses who sponsored shows, a listing of show directors, a page dedicated to each production and an ‘in memoriam’ listing of people who were involved with JTG but have passed on.
What is there is a start. As people find out of the website’s existence, they have an opportunity to fill in the blanks. They can identify people in pictures, provide missing program information, make corrections or add photographs, T-shirts and posters. The email address that has been established for use that is associated with this project is jtgmemories@gmail.com.
Over 2,600 people, removing duplicates, were involved in bringing the productions to life or working behind the scenes. That is until more programs are received. During the 42 years that JTG offered entertainment, the guild performed only 27 different productions twice and three productions were done three different times. Probably the most crowning achievement of the organization was providing an avenue for 25 original productions to be staged.
Hopefully the word can spread to others that were involved so that missing information can be obtained. Over the years many children were involved and maybe some parents out there would have pictures or programs to share. Let the memories live on and the treasure hunt continue.
