Many volunteers have come and gone since the Pocket Community Theatre staged its first performance under a tent in 1991, but one couple has dedicated nearly all of their retirement years to the production.
Last Friday night, before the premiere of the theater's latest production, the board of directors dedicated the stage to Gene and Margaret Forsyth, volunteers for more than 20 years who have served in nearly every conceivable capacity behind the scenes.
"Gene and Margaret have been such supporters of the Pocket for so many years and we (the board of directors) knew that a simple 'thank you' would not be near enough to express our gratitude," board secretary James Kendall said.
The board presented the couple with a dedication plaque and announced that every production will now show on the Gene and Margaret Forsyth stage. The couple had no idea they were being honored on the opening night.
"It was just so wonderful to have the stage dedicated to us. You spend years working in the background that it becomes part of your life. You don't realize people recognize all the work you've done," Margaret Forsyth said.
The Forsyths have a long history of working in show business. Gene Forsyth spent his entire career working in radio, theater, and television, where he learned the ins and outs of sound engineering and effects. He spent 50 years working in Hollywood before retiring.
Margaret Forsyth also had a career in radio, dating back to the 1950s. Days after graduating from high school, she began working at a radio station. From there, she traveled across the country working at different stations until she wound up in Los Angeles and met her husband.
The pair retired from their jobs in California and moved across the country to Hot Springs. Although they officially retired, their work in show business was far from over. In 1997, Margaret Forsyth began volunteering with the theater and her husband soon followed.
"My good friend from Women's Welcome kept at me to come out and help. At that time, they were performing out of a storefront on Higdon," she said.
"After they moved behind the skating rink I continued to volunteer at the box office as needed. Over the years I've volunteered on and off working the box office. At one point, the board decided to hire someone but that didn't work and I stepped back up to fill the gaps."
Margaret Forsyth essentially runs the entire front of house operation for the theater. During the two weeks of productions, she is there every day, making sure the programs are in order and reservations are confirmed, among the many other behind-the-scenes preparations.
Although Gene Forsyth has stepped back from his days running sound, he still makes appearances at the theater whenever a little extra help is needed around show time. In the past, he helped build the technicians' booth, produced productions, and helped renovate their current building.
"Margaret brought me to the theater after her friends here learned I had experience in sound. In one of the first productions I was a part of, I had to create the sound effects in real time because the CD player was not working. There I was knocking on the walls of the sound booth hoping it would do the trick," he said.
After over 20 years with the Pocket Theatre, the Forsyths look to pass the mantle onto the next generation of thespians. Although the board of directors knows it's nearing the end, they are sad to see the couple go.
"Margaret easily does the work of 10 people, if not more. She is up here all the time making sure that the cast and crew can focus on the show. I don't know what we are going to do without her and Gene," board President Tami Adderholt Pultz said.
Local on 02/07/2018