POLO — Once upon a time, performing arts venues were a big part of small-town America, but in many smaller communities, they’ve long since taken their final bow.

But not in Polo.

Performing arts there has stuck around for a second act — and with a place to finally call its own, it should be around for plenty of encores, too.

These days, there aren’t as many performance venues — outside of schools — let alone opera houses left in towns Polo’s size, a community of just under 2,300 in southwestern Ogle County. But in the days before films began flickering, the stage was the go-to place for entertainers. Families would fill the seats to see local actors, musicians, and traveling troupes tread the boards. It wasn’t just entertainment, it was an event.

Polo was no different back then, with an opera house that opened in 1888 and served patrons for years. But times and tastes changed. People found other ways to be entertained. Small-town plays were pushed aside by big-screen movies.

These days, though, Polo is different.

The city known as “The Gateway to the Pines” (a nod to the state park east of town) is once again a gateway to community theater, and has been for the past two decades, thanks to a performance organization that continues to utilize the stage where actors and musicians performed more than a century ago.

The Polo Area Community Theatre brings popular plays, adaptations of novels, and musicals to the stage, treating audiences to live productions in an era of downloads and digital entertainment.

Theater founder and artistic director Kristin DuBois leads a team of volunteer performers who’ve answered the casting call and whose experience runs from budding talent to seasoned performers. For the 2024-25 season, they brought “James and the Giant Peach,” “Fruitcakes,” “The Tin Woman” and “The Somewhat True Story of Robin Hood” to the stage, and this season they’re bringing a murder, music, Mark Twain and a merry show to audiences — and Doctor Seuss was even in the house.

The current season also marks a milestone for the group: its 20th season. Like Hollywood’s classic ode to live entertainment says in song: “That’s entertainment!” — and a lot of it. And like the song also says: “The world is a stage; the stage is a world of entertainment.”

“Live theater is terribly important, both for performers and for audience members,” DuBois said. “For performers, it gives them an opportunity to express themselves in ways that they don’t get to as a person walking down the street, and they get to explore different emotions and characters. The literary value for both performers and audiences is phenomenal. In a world that is all digital, to come and see people perform live – not as many people do that as they used to – it’s a completely different thing. You get to meet the people, you get to watch it being performed in front of you.”

The theater’s first show of the 2025-26 season was “The Seussification of A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a Dr. Seuss twist on the famous William Shakespeare comedy. The free show was performed June 11 at the theater and June 12-13 at Louise Quick Park in downtown Polo. Next up was “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” performed in late September.

The next five shows have been announced into July: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is the next show, with performances on Dec. 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13. “A Murder is Announced” is next; auditions are Dec. 20, and performances are on Feb. 13, 14, 15, 20 and 21. Then comes “Clue: The Musical,” with auditions on Feb. 28 and performances on May 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9. “Tom ’n Huck” concludes the season; auditions are May 16, and performances are July 10-12.

One of the things that make the PACT troupe special is that its performances all are done by volunteers — sometimes even including DuBois herself — and include performers as young as pre-K through adults. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” will feature children 5 years and up, and DuBois said she hopes to see a lot of young performers try out. Some productions have been real family affairs, with whole families on stage. One production, “Seussification,” featured a family of four from Rockford, and another featured a couple who first met while performing for PACT, and two of their kids performed in recent plays with their parents.

“We just try to give kids an opportunity to do regular, full shows that have roles for kids,” DuBois said. “One of the nice things is that entire families get involved. We teach them and it gives them opportunities for learning big-kid stuff, giving them real world opportunities, and it looks good on a college resumé.”

DuBois had served as the chairperson of a children’s theater in Pennsylvania before moving to Polo in 2006 to be closer to her husband Hart’s family. Hart has also occasionally performed.

DuBois founded PACT to bring together performers of all ages and experience, and nearly all of its shows have done just that.

“At the time, I couldn’t find any theaters that had any focus on kids,” DuBois said. “I was looking for something more of the regular theaters that had roles for kids instead of the ‘Junior’ versions or all-kids stuff. We went from initially doing two shows a year and a Christmastime revue to five shows a year, including the one at the park.”

The first season had two shows: “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

Further building on her goal to see the next generation of performers get bit by the acting bug, four spots on the theater’s 15-person board of directors are reserved for children, who serve one-year terms and bring their own perspective to the fold to create a well-rounded performance experience.

Casting is open to anyone. Potential performers fill out an audition form, are put into groups, introduce themselves to the board, read scripts with each other, and sing a song if it’s an audition for a musical. Some performers have gotten their start at PACT before graduating to larger theaters such as Timber Lake Playhouse in Mount Carroll.

Regardless of whether someone thinks they can act or not, Dubois encourages them to give it a tryout: “You could have someone come in who’s never been on stage before and they do an excellent job.”

Don’t be shy, she says — but if you are, maybe taking the stage is just what you need. DuBois has seen younger performers come out of their shell, or use the theater to find the confidence to cope with difficult life situations.

“It’s a safe place for kids in Polo who don’t have a lot of things to do; it’s something that they can come to do,” DuBois said. “Sometimes there are kids who come here who may not have great family lives, and here’s a place where they have people they can talk to and have things that they can do.”

The former opera house PACT performs at has undergone many changes since it was built in 1888. It used to have an upper seating level, now closed off and a new front entrance was built in the 1950s, and up until recently had served as a Buffalo Township Hall and offices — all while its stage remained in use for the theater. A new town hall was recently built across the street and the township voted in May to donate the building to the theater, which assumed full ownership in July.

Had the township gone another route with the building, perhaps selling it or tearing it down, the effect on the theater “would have been devastating,” DuBois said — but with the benefit having a stage to call their own comes the responsibility of ownership. Already

Already the board has a to-do list and wish list: improvements where needed, putting a little make-up on the building with cosmetic changes, modernizing it, making it handicapped accessible, adding restrooms — it’s a long list, but members are looking forward to the building’s next stage of development.

With the non-profit 501c3 organization supported by money from ticket sales, donations, fundraisers and sponsorships, PACT operates on lean budget, but the group is committed to doing what it can with what it has, as well as finding other avenues of support.

DuBois has sought grants, but there’s not a lot coming — in fact, a recent proposal to the National Endowment of the Arts was thwarted by federal budget cuts to the endowment. Donations are also welcome, be it cash, time or talent. Monetary donations can be made on PACT’s website or during performances, and the group can always use an extra set of hands — and not just for clapping.

“If we had someone with skills, such as electrical, who would donate their time and skills, that kind of thing would be big,” DuBois said. “Those are the big things. We really have to drum up bigger fundraisers than selling candy bars.”

Even though PACT has been around for 20 years, DuBois still hears from people, both locally and outside the area, who didn’t even know that there was a performing arts presence in Polo — but once they take a seat in front of the stage, they’re in for a treat, she said.

“We hear over and over about how people are impressed, for a town of this size, about the quality of theater we put on,” DuBois said. “We have people from all over who perform, and have people who come from all over to see the shows. We encourage people to come on out, give it a try and audition; we’re not picky. Come and sit and enjoy a show.”

Polo Area Community Theatre’s 2025-26 season: What’s coming up

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”

Show times: 7 p.m. Dec. 5, 6 and 12; 2 p.m. Dec. 7 and 13

In this hilarious Christmas classic, Grace Bradley is struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant and is faced with casting the Herdman kids – the worst kids in the history of the world. The mayhem and the fun ensue as the Herdmans collide head-on with the story of Christmas. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is based on the young adult book of the same name and is a delightful crowd pleaser for all ages.

“A Murder is Announced”

Auditions: Dec. 20

Show times: 7 p.m. Feb. 13, 14 and 20; 2 p.m. Feb. 15 and 21

In this Agatha Christie favorite, an announcement in the local paper states the time and place when a murder is to occur in Miss Blacklock’s Victorian house. What follows is a classic Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities and a determined inspector grimly following the case’s twists and turns. Fortunately, Miss Marple is on hand to provide the solution – at some risk to herself – in a dramatic final confrontation.

“Clue: The Musical”

Auditions: Feb. 28

Show times: 7 p.m. May 1, 2 and 8; 2 p.m. May 3 and 9

The popular board game is brought to life in a fun-filled musical. The world’s best-known suspects invite the audience to help solve the mystery. Audience members select the cards secretly revealing who killed Mr. Boddy, in what room, and with what weapon. One hard-nosed detective attempts to unravel the merry mayhem. Comic antics, witty lyrics and a beguiling score carry the investigation from room to room to catch the culprit. With 216 possible endings, and the audience playing along, this is a delightful and colorful crowd pleaser.

“Tom ‘N Huck”

Auditions: May 16

Show times: July 10-12, times TBD

Based on the classic and beloved American novel by Mark Twain, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” tells the story of young Tom, and his uproarious adventures. Travel back to the late 1800s and join Tom and his friends for the famous painting the fence, the discovery of hidden treasure, the rescue of Becky Thatcher, and the sad demise of Ol’ Joe. This is a charming piece of history and literature for all ages.

The Polo Area Community Theatre is located at 117 N. Franklin Ave. in Polo. Find it on Facebook and Instagram or go to polotheatre.com for upcoming show information and to purchase tickets. Monetary donations to support the theater can be mailed to P.O. Box 36, Polo IL 61064.