Theater Works (Peoria, Arizona)

Theater Works is a non-profit community theater company that operated out of the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts in Peoria, Arizona. The company produces more than 200 events a year for audiences of all ages, including their own productions as well as running and managing outside productions and rentals that use the arts center.

Theater Works has the Mary Jane Gyder Theater, a 274 seat state-of-the-art "Main Stage" theater with stadium style seating, and the Constance W. McMillin Theater, an 80 seat Black Box theater. The company also has two classrooms, a set construction shop, a costume shop, dressing rooms, and office space for the theater's staff.

1980s
Theater Works was founded in September 1986 as a non-profit community theater. Around this time, people believed that the northwest valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area was in need of a community theater. David Wo was the driving force behind the start of Theater Works and would be named the artistic director and executive producer of the new theater company.

In December 1986, the company leased a building that used to be a feed store at 67th Avenue and Thunderbird Road in Glendale. They installed a stage and risers of seating, and elected a board of directors to provide oversight for the various aspects of production and programs that the company had planned.

TheaterWorks opened with their first show, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, on February 6, 1987. The company put on six more shows that season.

1990s
In 1990, David Wo began looking for a location for a second Theater Works theater. Wo looked at locations in Downtown Glendale and Sun City. The Sun City location, an old movie theater became close to a finalized deal between Wo and the property owner but ultimately fell through likely to the necessary renovation costs. Following the failed deal in Sun City, Wo began looking at Downtown Glendale again, working with the city council to gain financial backing. Despite years of talks between the theater and the city of Glendale no agreement was ever reached and Theater Works' lease at their "barn on Thunderbird" expired. The company had to move further west to 99th Avenue and Peoria Avenue in Peoria.

In February 1997, the city of Surprise offered the theater company free use land for a permanent theater location as part the city's proposed cultural center. The location of this cultural center would have been at 115th Avenue and Bell Road, between Sun City and Sun City West. Theater Works was concerned that with the location the theater may become seen as a Sun City theater primarily geared toward seniors. In June, the theater decided to decline Surprise's offer and bought land at 91st Avenue and Thunderbird Road to construct their own theater facility. The proposed $2 million facility would have two theaters, a main stage auditorium and a black box theater, as well as classrooms for the company's numerous educational programs. On September 18, 1997, David Wo collapsed and died at the theater from cardiac arrest. Gregory Jaye and Julia Thomson took over as heads of the theater to finish out the 97-98 season.

In June 1998, following the end of the theater's 97-98 season, it was announced that TheaterWorks was no longer pursuing the new theater project. Only a few thousand dollars had been raised prior to David Wo's death and Julia Thomson did not want to overwhelm the theater company with intensive fundraising following the death.

2000s
In 2000, the city of Peoria put Proposition 402 on the ballot, asking Peoria citizens to vote on whether or not the city should invest in a new performing arts center. Theater Works was singled out by the city as a favorable tenant for the proposed theater due to its existing revenues and reputation. Ultimately, Proposition 402 would fail with only 41% of voters in favor of the community arts center.

Theater Works and the city of Peoria announced in 2001 that they would be moving forward with plans to create a cultural and performing arts center following the passing of proposition 304, a second initiative to get the citizens' approval in 2001 that passed. Then Peoria mayor, John Keegan, said that he would like to see more development for artistic and cultural centers in Peoria, particularly for redeveloping the Old Town area. In fall 2001, Scott Campbell took over as artistic director.

In early 2002, David Hock took over as managing director director of the theater before leaving after three months to pursue another path. Ben Tyler then took over as managing director of Theater Works after being the cofounder and operator of Mill Avenue Theater in Tempe, and artistic director of Desert Foothills Theater in Carefree.

In 2003, Theater Works and the city of Peoria were still finalizing planning to build the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, primarily raising money. That same year Jack Lytle took over the reins as the theater's Executive Director. The first hurdle the theater had to clear was raising $200,000 by March 2004, then construction would commence. Theater Works ran into several obstacles in meeting this goal, the first of which was being shut down by the Peoria fire marshal in March for several severe fire hazards. The cost to fix the necessary issues in order to reopen was estimated at about $100,000. The community rallied around the theater with several local companies volunteering supplies and services to the theater and the city of Peoria giving $25,000 in discretionary funds to the theater as needed. During this time the theater company moved operations to the Lakes Club in Sun City, which placed yet another financial burden on the theater. The theater leased the Lakes Club for $10,000. The deadline to raise the $200,000 was pushed back to December 2004. Theater Works was able to raise the necessary funds with a week left in November 2004, officially starting the process to get the new performing arts facility build in Old Town Peoria.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in December 2005, beginning work on the half decade plan for the new performing arts center, and a new home for Theater Works.

Theater Works held their first show in the new facility, Tea for Three, on February 10, 2007.

2010s
In 2012 Daniel Schay took over as Executive Director of the company. Schay had previously been president of Sedona Cultural Park, a 5,500 seat concert venue, and Executive Director of Phoenix Theatre.

Following the sudden death of Schay in 2016, Chris Hamby and Cate Hinkle became artistic director and managing director, respectively. The two split the duties of Executive Director with Hamby overseeing the artistic side of the role. Hinkle oversaw the marketing, development, and fundraising aspects of the theater. Hamby had previously been the education and outreach director for Theater Works, as well as a co-founder of the short lived Vagabond Youth Theater in Avondale.

Educational Programs
A major emphasis for the theater is educational programs for youth. The theater has also offered educational experiences for teens, adults, and seniors.

These programs include:

Kids Alive (now Theater Alive) - an Up With People style group performing upbeat music on themes such as world peace and self-esteem. In the early run of Kids Alive, the performers would tour, performing in other theaters across the country and sometimes other countries. Today the program is more focused on theater.

Wonder Works - a theatrical group performing for children.

Summer Camps - weeks long summer musical-theater work-shops, each offering a full-length musical comedy.

Theater Classes - Six-to-eight week classes in the performing arts, covering topics like movement, sings, acting, and dancing.

Youth Works - numerous productions that are a part of the theater's season but all of the performers are under the age of 18.

AdaptiveWorks - a program designed for actors with physical and cognitive disabilities started in 2017. The program has not returned since 2019.