THE GOLDEN PLATEAU 2: Celebrating Cumberland County Playhouse's 50th Year

When it comes to celebrating milestones, perhaps none is more exciting than a theater company that was created to bring the arts to a rural part of the USA and has persevered - flourished, even - to become one of the nation's most respected theatrical organizations. Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse, founded by Broadway veteran Paul Crabtree and his formidable wife, Mary, way back in 1965, celebrates its 50th season this year, with an impressive array of onstage offerings designed to highlight the company's strengths, recall its stellar history and to welcome home many of the people who've brought life to the CCP stage during its first half-century.

Over the coming months, we'll be sharing some of the fondest, funniest and most moving memories shared by many CCP alumni as we commemorate the company's golden anniversary. We kick off the celebration today with remembrances from Ryan Haderlie, Harry Bryce and Matthew Hayes Hunter. As they take us down memory lane, you're likely to feel like you're right there in Crossville, being treated to the transformative, transporting work of 2013 First Night Honoree Jim Crabtree and his team - his family, really - still focused on creating art in the middle of Tennessee...

Ryan Haderlie is a native of Logan, Utah, who made his home in Crossville for several years, working as a technical director at CCP before heading to jobs at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and Wisconisn's Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Performing Arts. What I remember the most vividly was the interactions outside of work. CCP is the definition of "my theatre family" we celebrated every success and holiday together and were there for each other for every downfall and loss. I know that no matter what I have family in Tennessee.

Now based in Florida, Harry Bryce studied at Memphis' Lemoyne-Owen University prior to arriving in Crossville to direct at Cumberland County Playhouse. Since then, he's been back to the plateau on numerous occasions to share his vision onstage in various CCP productions: This vivid memory is very close to my heart because it changed my life as an artist and humanitarian. Twenty years ago I thought my path was set. I had my own theatre company (Memphis Black Repertory Theatre) and was dutifully telling the stories of the African-American experience through theatre. Along came a man name Jim Crabtree who protested "your stories need to be shared in places where hope and acceptance of other cultures is fleeting." He extended the invitation to come to CCP in Crossville, to direct the musical Ain't Misbehavin'.

Given the History of Cumberland County and Crossville's connection to the KKK and a reputation as a SunDown County (which meant not safe for people of color after dark), my friends asked, "have you lost your mind?" Ignoring the unfaithful, I packed my bags and the rest is a glorious history. Jim Crabtree and his family have always been visionaries. Today CCP, Crossville and Cumberland County is a preferred destination for those visiting Tennessee seeking diverse cultural authenticity and artistic theatrical brilliance.

Matthew Hayes Hunter, who has studied theater at Middle Tennessee State University and made a name for himself on various stages throughout the Volunteer State, grew up in Putnam County, not far from CCP. As a child, he attended shows in Crossville, ultimately achieving one of his theatrical dreams: being cast at Cumberland County Playhouse. The best memory I had at CCP was on closing night of Seussical, which I did when I was 16 in...my first show there, and I played one of the Wickershams with folks who were in the resident company and had grown up doing shows there, I remember going out for curtain call and just ugly crying because I had grown up taking field trips to CCP and had never imagined getting the opportunity to actually perform there.

It was like a dream at that age. I also enjoyed having little five minutes pre-show talks with Weslie Webster (who played Mayzie La Bird), as we both entered from upstage left in the opening number and would chat at "places" while waiting for the show to start.

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