Ann Arbor school's theater troupe celebrates 50th anniversary

In Ann Arbor, March brings longer days, college basketball hysteria, and — for the last 50 years — an original musical comedy by the Thurston Community Players. Started by parents and teachers as a fundraiser for the Thurston Elementary School PTO, the all-volunteer troupe staged its first production in 1975. Except for a shutdown for the COVID-19 pandemic, it hasn't missed a year since. 

Over the years, the troupe's cast, crew, and production team have grown to include students and Thurston neighborhood residents not affiliated with the school. Many stay involved long after their, or their child's, time at the school. Katie Gilkey is the co-director of the troupe's 2025 show, "The Princess and the Peagle." She says the troupe includes people whose children have not just completed elementary school at Thurston, but graduated college.

"They still are around helping us," Gilkey says. "I think it's just the love of the theater, the love of the social aspect of it, and just the community is really number one."

Gilkey grew up in community theater and stayed active in it as an adult. She first learned about Thurston Community Players when her daughter, now a second grader, was in kindergarten at Thurston. Gilkey made her directorial debut in 2024.

"I wanted to get my kid on stage and, ideally, get me on stage as well. And then, because of my experience, they took me and utilized me, and next thing I know I was directing last year for the first time," says Gilkey, who also has a small acting role in the current production.

Thurston Community PlayersA rehearsal for the Thurston Community Players' 50th anniversary show, "The Princess and the Peagle."
The troupe's 50th anniversary show, "The Princess and the Peagle," tells the story of a king who is about to retire and the clever test he uses to determine his successor. It also includes a subplot about accidentally starting a war with a neighboring kingdom.

No one is turned away at Thurston Community Players auditions. A typical cast includes more than 100 actors, ranging from 5-year-olds to senior citizens. Many more volunteers are involved behind the scenes, writing the script and lyrics, choreographing dances, playing instruments, designing and building sets, and making sure the play comes together. Gilkey says work on the next year's show starts soon after each year's play is finished, with rehearsals running December through March.

"It takes a village to raise a child, but with this production, it takes the whole community," Gilkey says.

"The Princess and the Peagle" will be performed March 15 at 6 p.m. and March 16 at 3 p.m. at Huron High School Auditorium, 2727 Fuller Rd. in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $6-$12. More information is available at www.thurstonplayers.org.

Eric Gallippo is an Ypsilanti-based freelance writer.

Photo courtesy of Thurston Community Players.