This article was featured in the July 2010 issue of  Strictly Business magazine. (View a PDF of the original article.)

The Depot Theatre
By Tom Loughan

By the early 1970s, the once quaint 1876 Delaware and Hudson train station in Westport, NY had become shuttered and unused, a historical derelict by the tracks. Passengers waiting for the Amtrak stood outside in a forlorn glorified plexiglass leanto.

The lobby/waiting room of the depot, with its vintage ticket window, varnished wainscoted walls, vaulted ceilings, and curved, maple, brass finished benches
dulled and dusty, had once been slated to be sold and moved to Ausable Chasm. All indications were that the once bustling little station would soon be a pile of rubble, a bit of history gone forever.

But, as North Country residents and visitors know, this story has a happy ending. Today the train station, meticulously re- stored to its 19th century charm, is a model of preservation and restoration, and shares life with Westport’s Depot Theatre, the area’s only professional Equity theatre, one of our region’s most revered summer attractions.

For many, a drive to beautiful West- port on Lake Champlain, perhaps with a stop for dinner at an area restaurant, then taking in a show at the Depot Theatre is a mandatory rite of summer.

Each season, June through September, veteran professional actors regale and entertain, bringing to life Broadway plays and musicals, classics old and new, and even premiers in the intimate, informal theatre. Over the years, the Depot Theatre has become central to the social, artistic and historical tapestry of the Westport community. Economically it’s considered a “pillar of attraction” for the vital role it plays in drawing visitors to a town heavily dependent on summer tourism.

Humble Origins

So how did a neglected train station one swing away from the wrecking ball morph into a picturesque town’s cultural and economic diamond? First, the Ausable Chasm Corporation gave the building back to the town and the Westport Historical Society began the restoration of the lobby in time for the Bicentennial. The answer of how the station transformed into a theatre lies in the persons of Carol Buchanan, former Historical Society director, and Shami McCormick, the Depot’s artistic director. Buchanan was the motivating force and, with McCormick, was involved with the restoration and theatre company from day one.

Relaxing on one of the curved, hand- crafted benches in the Depot lobby recently, McCormick reflected on her long love affair with the people of Westport, the theatre arts, the Depot Theatre and the actors she’s worked with for over 30 years.

“I grew up in the Bronx,” she said. “My father loved the theatre; his avocation was acting and directing and my whole family was active in theatre arts early on. Summers he would bring us all to Westport where he worked in the theatre at Camp Dudley.”

After college McCormick pursued her dream of becoming a professional and was touring with an acting group around New York State when she received a call from Carol Buchanan of the Historical Society about some future uses for the Westport train station.

“We did some brainstorming and began thinking about the idea of a theatre as a great use for the building. We wanted to create a space that had a lot of vitality and creative energy—one to which people would come frequently. A performance space would encompass all those things.”

With few funds but a lot of energy and volunteer help, the station got a reprieve and the seeds of the Depot Theatre began to take root.

“That first year, 1979, my sister, a senior at Westport Central, collaborated with Carol Buchanan and her right hand, Roothe Fansworth, on a summer season,” McCormick said.

The freight room behind the lobby became the theatre. A big, open, dusty, planked area, it had no set stage or audience area.

“We used folding chairs and a platform on cinder blocks for the stage. People brought chairs from homes or hotels. Carol and Roothe ran Wednesday Bingo nights to help meet the $3,000 budget!”

After that first season of seat-of- the-pants theatre, the idea of a theatre company in an historic train station was firmly in Carol’s and Shami McCormick’s minds.

“To me the train station is a perfect metaphor for the theatre,” she explained. “Both are witness to peoples’ comings and goings; both transport people, by rail and through plays. The station retains the stories of people passing through as the theatre does through its productions. In essence, both are all about storytelling.

“Our goal from the beginning,” she added, “was to work methodically to- wards a professional theatre, to bring the highest level of quality to the Depot Theatre. Communities that thrive have a strong cultural life and in the Depot we found a place to celebrate culture, tell stories, come together as a community and celebrate our history.”

In the next years, McCormick and the Westport community worked to re- store the station to historical standards and grow the professional theatre company. The old freight room was transformed into an intimate 136-seat auditorium.

Shami explained, “We got seats from two movie theaters that were closing and worked with a set director to configure a stage that would maximize scene and set transition. We collaborated with many entities, like the New York State Council on the Arts, Town of Westport and the Westport Historical Society for donations and grants. It has taken tremendous sweat equity and the huge support of volunteers to bring the train station and theatre to this state of restoration.”
She added, “The town owns the building, the D & H owns the ground, we have a lease and share the lobby with Amtrak. It’s a unique arrangement but somehow it all works.”

Professional Actors

The Depot Theatre, in the category of “small professional theatres”, contracts with the Actors’ Equity Association to hire actors. In keeping with the company’s mission to emphasize “gathering artists who enhance the professional quality of Depot Theatre production”, Shami McCormick holds auditions in New York City for each season’s plays.

“From late February through April, we auditioned about 600 actors for five plays, 26 roles. We’re guided by union rules. We’re allowed 34 hours of rehearsal per week. Twenty-two of the 26 members of the cast this year are union.”

Lest folks think all actors make a fortune, McCormick explained, “We pay union salary scale of $318 a week, plus $144 weekly into their health insurance fund for each roughly three week stay. We also pay for their housing and transportation up here.”

Despite low pay, there are other reasons for actors to covet a summer at the Depot. There is, of course, the singular allure of all the Adirondack region offers, and McCormick explained that the whole Westport community has bought into the Theatre’s commitment to “create a vibrant, nurturing artistic home for diverse theatre artists in which they can further develop their craft”.

“We know there are many excellent actors out there and believe it’s our job to encourage their employment and creativity. The community, our ‘Depot family,’ embraces our visiting artists. Some donate housing for the actors. Businesses like Normandie Beach Club, Everybody’s Market, Westport Country Club, Chazy and Westport Telephone Co., and the Westport Marina (to name a few) wel- come them by offering various dis- counts or memberships. Others, like the Shipstore and the Westport Veterinary Hospital donate storage space. Actors consider Westport their artistic home—they feel nurtured and respect- ed. We have many alumni who return to work and visit—they love it here!”

Over the years McCormick has seen many Depot actors become principals on Broadway in such shows as “Mama Mia”, “Les Miserable”, or “Fela”. She said, “You almost can’t watch a “Law and Order” episode without seeing someone who has worked at the Depot Theatre. Jeanne Tesori, a past Depot musical director, is a Tony nominated composer.”

What Lies Ahead

Theatre going at the Depot is a more popular summer pastime than ever these days. “We’ve enjoyed a steady in- crease in support and revenue—and expenses,” McCormick said. “I’m most proud that we’re still here! The Depot is wanted, enjoyed and needed. It’s part of the economic fabric of Westport as well, and that helps sustain the region.”

Even so, the Depot continues to re-examine its future. “We would like to do more programming and there is a five year goal to expand our outreach programs.”
Currently there are programs in basic performance skills for kids 7-17, apprentice programs, Shakespeare-in- the-Park for ages 13+, various work- shops, and recently, audio description of plays for the sight impaired.

The building itself is always a work in progress. A grant in the 1990s permitted a new slate roof and there was the much appreciated central air conditioning added in 2008.

“A big challenge for us today,” McCormick said, “is adjusting to the realities of funding, to do more with less. Attendance is increasing, but donations must account for almost half our budget (this year’s $355,000). We’ve lost some donated housing for the actors and eliminated one full time and several of the seasonal positions. Volunteers have been wonderful, but we can- not expect them to take over from staff indefinitely.”

To control costs even further, the Depot is co-producing the season’s first play with the Adirondack Theatre Festival of Glens Falls. “We share resources and learn from each other. It’s an interesting and productive model,” McCormick said. (“What a Glorious Feeling”, a musical inspired by Gene Kelly’s tempestuous romance with Jeanne Coyne during the filming of “Singin’ In The Rain”. Check it and the season’s other productions out and buy tickets online at www.depottheatre.org)

Marketing to tourists continues to evolve. Managing Director Chris Casquilho, the Depot’s other full time employee said ticket sales portend well for this year. “We have revised our website and now offer online ticketing and it’s going very well. We’ve found the best marketing area for us is along the I-87 corridor and to tourists who want a package deal. We work with the I Love NY campaign’s Hot Deals promotion, which involves overnight stays with a play. Westport’s Normandie Beach Club, for example, has such a package. We’ve found this a great way to attract visitors to the theatre.”

Casquilho explained that feedback from online ticketing and the I Love NY campaign will help target advertising in the future.

A Rewarding Career

It’s clear talking to Shami McCormick, who is entering her fourth decade as the inspiration and motivation behind the Depot Theatre, that she is as enthusiastic as ever about the new season in Westport.

When asked for final thoughts about the scores of productions she has overseen, she said, “I am blessed just to have been here. None of this would have happened without Carol Buchanan and the Westport community. There are so many productions that my mind lingers upon. Some be- cause they included people who have since passed away, others because they featured professional actors who were once 12-year-old apprentices, and still others because they were premieres— all because the people who created those shows did so with such joy and passion. It has been a great education for me as an artist and I believe that audiences have appreciated the intimacy and quality of the theatrical experience at the Depot Theatre.”