Golden Triangle Theatre Director Garrett Torbert said his favorite part of teaching students about the art of live theater is watching his students shine on stage.

“Watching them take that leap of faith and watching them go out on stage in front of a large crowd and just do it, is something special,” Torbert said.
Golden Triangle Theatre is well on its way to bringing live performances to the area.

The theater troupe put on its first production in fall 2021, performing a student talent show with only 15 children. With great recruitment efforts, the group expanded to 52 kids for the spring production, which will be a full-scale production May 6-8 of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Torbert said having theater for these children is not just to teach them about performing and being on a stage, but instructing life skills that will give them confidence throughout their life.

“We did weekly activities with those 15, but if nothing else, we helped give them the confidence they needed to go out and be better individuals,” Torbert said.

Along with children productions, Golden Triangle Theatre also produces adult-aged shows. After auditions, 27 adults from the community will perform “The Pirates of Penzance,” a comedic opera, April 22-24 with the Saturday evening show being a dinner theater night.

To join the theater troupe, applicants pay a $50 registration fee. Torbert said he is proud of how the group has grown and hopes to expand it even further in the future.

While the troupe is primarily located in Columbus, residents from all across the Golden Triangle participate in Golden Triangle Theatre. Torbert also works with a staff of seven comprised strictly of students from Mississippi State University and the Mississippi University for Women.

The group lives by three words — inspire, nurture and create. Torbert said he hopes the children are inspired to be better people and ambassadors for the community, are nurtured with a skill set to take on the world and create a work of art.

“Theater is not just performing,” Torbert said. “It’s about building sets and props, all the things that encompass putting on a production together.”

Productions have and will be held at various locations throughout Columbus, with the fall’s productions being at the Rosenzweig Arts Center. Torbert said he hopes the theater group will have its own location in the near future and is looking to procure a location.

Along with spring and fall productions, Golden Triangle Theatre will host a summer camp. Torbert said he plans for it to be a two-week intensive period where students will put on a full-stage production.

Torbert said he is grateful for all the troupe has accomplished just over the last year and knows Golden Triangle Theatre will continue to grow and make a lasting impression on its students.

“I think this is going to impact the community by planting a seed for children to have a place to go and provide an outlet for anyone that has an interest in theater,” Torbert said. “I really think this is going to boost the community’s morale.”