From Ashland to River City

The Ashland Kroc Theater Group had just wrapped its first production: Frozen Jr., a staging of the hit animated movie and Broadway musical tailored for young performers and audiences. In the middle of the cast party, one of the actors stood up and spoke about how he’d made friends during rehearsals, the energy of performing on stage, and how being part of it all had influenced him spiritually and emotionally.

Majors Annalise and Billy Francis, corps officers at the Ashland Kroc Center in Ohio, had a choice to make. It was December of 2021, and the person in charge of the production was leaving the Kroc. Without someone to direct future projects, the program was at risk of being dropped. The pastors decided to lead it themselves.

“There was too much excitement and momentum to stop,” says Major Billy.

Major Annalise says, “As a performer myself, I feel a stewardship and responsibility to help give an opportunity to a new generation of actors.”

Performances of Annie and Mary Poppins followed inside the Kroc’s gym, the center’s only available space for a stage. Audiences were filling the gym to capacity, and shoes were squeaking on the hardwood floors during shows.

As they were in rehearsals for Mary Poppins in 2022, a local theater that had been closed for a decade was being renovated to its original Art Deco state thanks to a group of investors. The renovations were finished at about the same time as the production of Mary Poppins.

Major Billy met with the theater’s manager and pitched the idea of moving the Kroc’s future shows to the Ashland Theatre, which could seat between 600 and 700 guests.

“Our next two performances, Matilda and The Music Man Jr., were at the Ashland Theatre,” says Major Billy.

Between productions, the majors hosted voice lessons, singing companies, and monologue workshops. Many of the cast members also went on to compete in Star Search, the Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory talent showcase.

“We saw some real growth and improvement from the children who had chosen to participate in Star Search,” says Major Annalise.

“Everything the Kroc does is an avenue of discipleship that promotes Christ and our Christian values,” says Major Billy. “Running the theater program is a herculean effort, and we couldn’t do it without this amazing team at the Kroc. Many of them have roles here during the day, then give their time at night for rehearsals.”

During preparations for The Music Man Jr., Major Annalise told the young performers the story of River City, the fictional Iowa town where the beloved musical takes place. A sly salesman named Harold Hill hopes to swindle the people of River City into buying instruments with the false promise of creating a marching band.

“But what no one imagined is the power that music itself has to transform a city,” says Major Annalise. “Everyone has a place in the band, and it changes them all. That’s what The Salvation Army does. Transformations can happen everywhere and for all of us.”

“There’s a scene where Winthrop Paroo, a boy from River City, receives his instrument for the first time and happily shows it off to his family,” says Major Billy. “That right there is a pure Salvation Army moment.”