Pam Myers-Morgan, Linda Marie Ford and Suzy Blaylock founded Echo Theatre with one purpose: To unearth the power of the female theatrical voice.
And for 10 years, Echo has done just that, performing more than 80 plays written by women. The theater company kicks off its 10th season in September with “The Ladies of the Camellias” at the Bath House Cultural Center.
“It’s a farce, wildly funny,” says Lake Highlands resident Myers-Morgan.
Even though it is a comedy, Myers-Morgan says the main characters grapple with some underlying issues in theater, similar to what Echo and its founders have done.
“It was everything we needed to celebrate this theater company,” Myers-Morgan says.
Echo was founded because Ford wanted to produce “The Dream of a Common Language” by Heather McDonald. Every theater company to which Ford showed it told her it was good, but not their style. Ford decided Dallas needed a company that would produce such a play. She convinced Myers-Morgan and Blalock to join her.
“It was never my intention to found a theater company,” Myers-Morgan says. “I came kicking and screaming. I can’t believe 10 years later, I’m still running a theater company.”
Echo’s mission is to produce plays written by women. Myers-Morgan says the majority of the plays produced by theater companies are written by men, even though there are just as many plays written by women.
“There’s a real gap between what is being performed and what is being written,” Myers-Morgan says. “What we’ve tried to do is show that the woman’s voice has a place.”
The founders decided Echo wouldn’t have the traditional hierarchical structure with an artistic director and managing director. Instead it has four producing partners, which over the years have changed as they have had babies, followed different career paths, and cared for ailing parents. The current producing partners are Myers-Morgan, neighborhood resident Lisa Taylor, Brandi Andrade and Terri Ferguson.
“The structure has allowed for the theater to go on,” Myers-Morgan said.
Blaylock worked for the company for one year to get it started, Myers-Morgan says. Ford, also a neighborhood resident, was a production partner for five years. She bowed out when she had her third child.
“I always refer to Echo as one of my children,” Ford says. “It’s above and beyond what we could have ever expected.”
While Echo is considered a women’s theater company, many men are involved in productions as actors, directors and audience members. And it’s their audience that Ford and Myers-Morgan say make Echo’s work so rewarding.
“You can do theater anywhere,” Myers-Morgan says. “You can do good theater anywhere. And there are some very good theater companies in town.”
But, she says, few companies have the audience connection Echo does.
“Our audience is incredibly smart,” Myers-Morgan says. “We just throw it out there, and our audience always steps up.”
The Ladies of the Camellias
where/ Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive
when/ Friday, Sept. 14 through Saturday, Oct. 6; Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m.
tickets/ $15 Fridays, $20 Saturdays, $10 Sundays; pay-what-you-will Thursdays
for more information/ echotheatre.org
