Having children exposes you to a lot of new experiences, and anyone who regularly reads my column is no doubt used to hearing about some of the latest adventures Sawyer and Colin Bell expose their old dad to on a pretty regular basis. 

Well, you can add the girlfriend Eli (Elizabeth) to the list of folks you’ll likely be hearing a good bit about. She too is expanding my horizons on an almost daily basis. The most recent of these new adventures has included me getting a first-hand look at Vicksburg’s thriving theater scene.

Most of you know we have two theaters in town that regularly put on local productions: Vicksburg Theater Guild — home to the famous “Gold in the Hills” play — is located at Parkside Playhouse on Iowa Boulevard, while the Westside Theatre Foundation calls the Strand Theatre on Clay Street home. 

One of the things I have learned over the last several months is that many people take part in productions at both theaters — and often at the same time, which just blows my mind. Currently, Eli is directing the upcoming production of “Grease” at the Westside Theatre Foundation, where I have been spending a lot of time as glorified moral support. In all honesty, I spend a good bit of time working on The Vicksburg Post website while huddled in the back of the theater, but that doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention to the impressive production coming together on stage.

And it really is impressive! Not only is it awesome for someone like me — a person with zero acting or singing talent and therefore no theater experience — to see the play go from an idea to a nearly fully formed production almost ready to be unveiled, but it’s also incredible to see the talented people we have right here in town do their thing.

I’ve met a ton of new people while hanging out at the Strand and basically not contributing anything but the occasional awe-inspired round of applause, but I’ve also discovered folks I already knew have talents I had no idea about. From Paul Salgado’s production, Eli’s direction, Stacey Mahoney helping out with choreography and the crazy display of phenomenal singers and actors, the list of people who have surprised me with what they can do goes on and on.

Similarly, during my first time seeing “Gold in the Hills” last month, I was blown away by the group on stage. Once again, it’s worth noting several of them are also in “Grease,” which premiers at the end of May, AND in “Fools,” which is going on now at Parkside Playhouse. I have no idea how they’re doing it all, but it’s sure fun to see, especially from the inside. 

We’ll have stories about both productions coming soon with exact dates and times for you, but in the meantime, you can always check out both production houses’ websites and Facebook pages for more information. You can find the Vicksburg Theater Guild online at www.e-vtg.com and the Westside Theatre Foundation on Facebook and Visit Vicksburg’s website. Both groups are also regularly featured in our own calendar online and in each Friday’s edition.

So, come see for yourself what amazing talents we have right here in the River City. You’re almost guaranteed to see someone you know onstage. And believe me, if you haven’t seen them do their thing, it’s an impressive, eye-opening experience that will make you want to come back again and again.

Blake Bell is the general manager and executive editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at blake.bell@vicksburgpost.com.