There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when space isn’t really a theater—but becomes one anyway.
Curtains go up where mirrors once reflected dance drills. Lights are strung where fitness classes ended just hours before. Sets are assembled, struck, and rebuilt again in a rhythm that feels less like limitation and more like determination.
This is where Footlight Productions lives right now—not in a permanent theater, but in motion. And for Ben Naasz, that motion has always been part of the plan.
“We’ve been doing shows in our studio space… but as we grow, we’re starting to take those productions out into the community,” Naasz says.
That growth didn’t happen overnight. It began more than a decade ago with the Movement Studio—a space rooted in dance, discipline, and creative exploration. Over time, it became something more. Students became performers. Classes became productions. And eventually, the need for something bigger became undeniable.
Footlight Productions was born out of that evolution.
The transition from Movement Studio to Footlight Productions wasn’t about replacing one thing with another, it was about expanding what was already working.
“We started Footlight… to bridge the gap,” Naasz explains, describing the nonprofit as both an artistic extension and a structural foundation that allows for grants, donations, and broader community reach.
Now, under that umbrella, dance teams, theater productions, and arts education all exist side by side. It’s not just a company, it’s an ecosystem.
And like any ecosystem, it’s outgrowing its container.
Right now, production is built inside a space that has to transform constantly. One night it’s a stage. The next morning it’s something else entirely.
“The show closes on Saturday… and we have to have it back ready for a fitness class,” Naasz says with a laugh that carries both pride and exhaustion.
It works—but just barely.
There’s a moment in every growing organization where improvisation gives way to vision.
For Footlight Productions, that moment is now. What they’re building toward is simple to describe, but transformative in practice: a dedicated home. A place where sets don’t have to come down overnight. Where lighting systems stay rigged. Where rehearsal and performance exist in the same continuous space.
“We want to expand into a bigger space… and have a dedicated theater,” Naasz says.
But what he’s really describing is something deeper shift from making theater happen to letting it live. Because with a permanent venue comes possibility. More productions. More risk-taking. More opportunities for performers who don’t always see themselves reflected in traditional programming. Footlight has already begun leaning into that space—producing work that feels more current, more daring, more aligned with the audiences that are here now. Shows like Rent, Spamalot, and Avenue Q—titles that don’t always find a stage locally—have already been part of their lineup.
There’s a clear intention behind that. To fill the gaps. To offer something different. To make room where there wasn’t any before.
What sets Footlight apart isn’t just what they produce—it’s who they’re producing it for. This isn’t theater for a single age group or experience level. It’s a continuum. From young children just stepping into performance for the first time, to teens discovering their voice, to adults returning to the stage, Footlight Productions is building something rare: a full arc of artistic development.
“We see it as the first step… and then they feed right through,” Naasz says, describing a pathway that extends into higher education and beyond.
It’s not just about putting on a show. It’s about building a future where the arts are accessible, sustainable, and deeply rooted in the community.
Growth like this doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens with support, with visibility, and with moments that bring the community into the story. One of those moments is coming soon. On May 29, Footlight Productions will host a special event at The Federal—an evening designed not just to showcase what they’ve built, but to invite the community into what comes next. It’s more than a fundraiser. It’s a marker. A signal that Footlight Productions is no longer just adapting to space—it’s preparing to claim one.
For now, the lights still go up in borrowed rooms. Curtains still come down faster than anyone would like. And every production still carries a bit of that beautiful, controlled chaos that comes from making something out of whatever space is available.
But underneath it all, something steady is forming. A foundation. A direction. A stage that doesn’t have to be rebuilt every time. And when that stage finally arrives, it won’t just belong to Footlight Productions. It will belong to every performer, every student, and every audience member who helped build it—one show at a time.
