Starting a Theatre in 2025? Bold Move. Beyond the Wings Did It Anyway.

By Avery Anderson

On a recent weeknight inside a church in Pinellas Park, a six-year-old and an eighty-something actor were rehearsing a battle scene. Across the room, three teenagers argued over prop coconuts. Belle was trying to keep a straight face. And the King—who is, according to the script, “really stupid”—was preparing to divide his kingdom among three daughters who probably shouldn’t be trusted.

It’s chaotic. It’s joyful. It’s extremely community theatre.

And it’s happening inside one of the newest theatre companies in Tampa Bay—launched in a year when most arts organizations are tightening belts, consolidating seasons, or praying the next show breaks even.

Beyond the Wings didn’t just open a company in 2025. They built one around the people most community theatres accidentally shut out.

“You’d think community theater includes everybody…”

Co-founder Maureen Keplinger said the idea started in the wings—literally. She and the other founders, Barbara Gasper and Roxan Kadium, met while volunteering backstage at other local theatres.

“You'd think that community theater includes everybody,” she said. “But sometimes it can be very clicky and it's really weird when you want to go volunteer and help somebody and then they're just kind of like, you know, we have our own little group.”

The three of them realized they each had a different skill set—one sews, one paints, one coaches actors—and that nobody was actually building a space where all of that mattered equally.

“We just really wanted to give people credit as a team,” she said. “Everyone should feel good about themselves.”

So they started their own company.

This year.

Because… why not pick the hardest possible time?

A cast that actually looks like a community

Walk into a Beyond the Wings rehearsal and you’ll find ages six to eighty-something in the same show. Not in alternating productions—in the same script, the same scenes, the same rehearsal room.

“It works out,” Keplinger said. “And it's so cool to see them actually level themselves up because they see these like seasoned actors.”

The reverse is true, too.

She described an 80-something cast member giving notes to a six-year-old, both cracking up at the absurdity of Game of Tiaras, the company's newest production.

“I've seen so many kids bring themselves up to a level they never even thought they could be there because they were inspired by new people,” she said. “Age has nothing to do with it.”

And the community doesn’t end at the edge of the stage.

Some volunteers do marketing, or props, or check-in.
Others hang lights or draw scenic backgrounds.
Some swear they’re “not artistic,” but show up anyway—and glow when the curtain rises.

“They feel so proud when they come to the shows and they’re like, wow, I had something to do with this,” Keplinger said.

Anxiety-friendly. Neurodivergent-aware. No humiliation required.

Keplinger works in special education at Oak Grove Middle School and has an autistic son who discovered theatre on a whim. That experience shapes everything.

She designs the audition process to be human, not theatrical hazing.

“I like to give people the opportunity to send in a video if they're shy because I don't want them to feel like, you know, put on the spot,” she said.

Her audition sheets ask about sensory issues, allergies, and comfort levels. Kids who don’t want lines aren’t pressured. Adults with anxiety aren’t pushed into a spotlight they aren’t ready for.

“You think theater is only for artistic people,” she said. “And that's the thing. It's not.”

Community theatre with a sliding scale—not a class

Here’s the thing: Beyond the Wings isn’t a training program. It’s not a camp. It’s not a cheaper alternative to formal theatre education.

It’s community theatre—full productions, volunteer crews, multigenerational casting—run on values that keep the door open.

Being a mom of four, Keplinger knows the barrier money creates.

“It's so expensive to get children into anything around here,” she said. “We tried a lot of things in the area and they're so expensive… there’s no way that I can afford all those activities.”

So they added a small participation fee—with a twist.

“We have a huge sliding scale where I think we had only two people pay for this show,” she said.

The rest? Volunteers traded hours for participation. Kids helped with props or check-in. Parents pitched in backstage. No one was turned away.

Not because they’re running an education program.
But because they’re trying to run community theatre the way community theatre was supposed to be.

The show: Game of Tiaras (and a whole lot of nerdom)

The new production is a parody fever dream: Disney meets Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings meets Monty Python.

“I’m a huge nerd,” Keplinger said. “This thing has Disney characters, Lord of the Rings, you know, Game of Thrones obviously. We're throwing in a little bit of Monty Python elements and we’re just sprinkling it.”

She’s adding Easter eggs, references, and possibly a trivia section in the program for audience bragging rights.

“It’s just really really dumb,” she said. “It’s just that we love to make fun of it.”

This is the good kind of dumb—joyful, chaotic, “I can’t believe my neighbor is Smeagol” dumb.

A theatre inside a church that feeds people

Finding space is one of the biggest hurdles for any new company—especially one trying to make theatre affordable and accessible. Beyond the Wings landed in Pinellas Park, whereFirst United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park runs a food pantry and homeless outreach offered them room to rehearse and perform.

“It’s not just you guys can just come and just use the stage area,” Keplinger said. “They're like, you can even have your own office here, because they know what we're doing, how we're helping people, and they're so proud of us for that.”

In return, Beyond the Wings donates half of every ticket sold to the church’s outreach efforts.
The other half helps fund the next production.
It’s a literal cycle of community supporting community.

“Find your place. Find your friends.”

Starting a new theatre company in 2025 is not for the faint of heart. Plenty of companies with decades of history are struggling. Rising rents, shrinking casts, and burnout are real.

And yet—here’s Beyond the Wings, building the kind of place they wish they’d found years ago.

“I just want everyone to find, you know, find your place, find your friends,” Keplinger said. “There's always space for everyone.”

That’s not just a slogan.
It’s the whole point.

If You Go

Beyond the Wings presents: Game of Tiaras

Nov 14-16
A parody mashup of Disney, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Monty Python — played by a multigenerational cast ages 6 to 80-something.

Location:
First United Methodist Church of Pinellas Park

9025 49th Street North. Pinellas Park, FL 33782

Tickets:
Tickets here
Half of all ticket revenue supports the church’s food pantry and homeless outreach.