Island City Stage
By John Hayden
From managing a large regional theatre company in Eastern Kentucky to leading Island City Stage in the heart of Wilton Manors, Martin (Marty) Childers has had an unlikely journey. But each unexpected step along the way has brought him to this moment. As the theatre’s Managing Director since 2016, he has overseen productions that tell LGBTQIA+ stories that don’t always get a lot of attention in many mainstream theatre companies.
“It’s evolved over time,” he told OutClique. “We want to do new works and continue to tell stories not everybody has heard.” Some are comedies, other dramas. Many are a little of each. Managing a small theater with only a few dozen seats means simultaneously producing, networking, fundraising, marketing, and more. Childers makes it look effortless but looks are deceiving. His background is a story of perseverance and his success is a product of passion for the arts.
Small Town Start
“I’m from Hindman, KY, and it’s in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.” If you actually have heard of Hindman, it’s likely because of the disastrous flooding this year and not its theater scene. Nestled on the edge of Appalachia, a region not known as a hotbed of openness for LGBTQIA+. But that is where Childers began his career in musical theater in the neighboring city of Prestonsburg, KY. “I always liked theater and liked singing. I sang a lot back then.”
He was coaching a friend for an audition at their local regional theater and believed that he could do as well as the other people he saw there. The next production that came around he put together an audition and got the part. “I performed over the next six years at that local theater company. Some roles were ensemble, some were leads. Eventually, Childers was playing roles on stage and off. “I got involved with their board after they invited me to join and was president of the organization for 2 years. That’s where I learned how to fundraise. I learned a lot by being on the board.”
Eventually he left for the “big city” of Lexington and was in a relationship. But his work in Eastern Kentucky wasn’t finished. A few board members called and asked him to return and run the company. “I was with a partner at the time and I was not really excited about going back to Eastern Kentucky. My partner was moving to Phoenix but I still needed a job. So, I worked there for the next 14 years. When I came back, it was kind of a mess. I got a new artistic team and we started doing great stuff.” He dove into even more foundational work. “I spent my time raising money and making sure we had the right kind of talent. It was a great run.”
Greener & Sunnier Pastures
Eventually doing everything exhausted Childers. “The theatre company never pulled back to do smaller shows, even when the budgets were bursting at the seams. Everything just kept getting bigger and bigger and there was a lot of pressure to raise funds in a community that seemed to not value the arts.” He felt it was time to move on.
While perusing jobs in late 2015, he saw the opening for Managing Director at Island City Stage. “I just applied and they called me the next day. We did a Zoom meeting and then I came down to meet with the board. They offered me the job and I arrived for work on January 2, 2016.”
Like many, Childers had vacationed in Wilton Manors and South Florida, but soon realized that visiting here and living here are two very different things. “It was very much a culture shock when I first came here. I had been here on vacation but when you live here, you’re not doing any of the vacation things. You’re working. All the things people come to do in Wilton Manors and Florida, you’re not here for that.”
He dove into the arts community well beyond just running Island City Stage. It paid off professionally and personally. “I became involved in things because I needed to meet people. The best thing that happened for me is I joined the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF). I met the Artistic Director, Harold Dioquino, and we began quietly dating. In 2019, we tied the knot.” The people he met in the chorus really helped him connect with the community. “I met all my friends there and they connected me to so many people in South Florida and Wilton Manors. It’s a great organization. I cherish that experience and the leadership there. And even though I am no longer in the chorus, we continue to have a very close relationship.”
Childers knows his move here changed the direction of his life in a way he couldn’t imagine. “I never in my life thought I’d be living in Florida, but here I am. I had sworn off being in a relationship long ago and now here I am married to Harold and I’m happy. Were it not for adversity, I probably would not have moved here, I never would have met Harold, or had this job. I’d still be in that little apartment in Eastern Kentucky, doing my best to keep that theater alive. I’d still be the same closeted guy in Eastern Kentucky, being quiet about that part of my life.”
Story Telling
Island City Stage’s mission is to tell LGBTQIA+ stories that need to be told. This month they’re producing Rotterdam, a story of sexuality and gender identity. “Two women in a relationship, one just acknowledging she is Lesbian to her family and the other confessing that she wants to transition to a man. It is all about how that relationship evolves in this scenario. It was produced in New York and recommended by a few of our Board Members who had seen and liked this show. It’s going to be a really interesting show to see in our community.”
Childers believes if you tell a quality story, people will support you. “Our mission is to create quality theater productions with a LGBT focus. We do shows that we feel are important to our community and beyond. We’re not here just to sell tickets. We’re here to tell stories about the LGBT community, all of it.”
Diversity has become a greater focus over the years and the 2022-23 season is no exception. “This year we’ve focused on some racial issues because that is really important. Our community is primarily white, gay men over the age of sixty. We want to make sure we have material that’s good for all audiences.”
Bringing diverse stories to the stage isn’t just a job, Childers says it’s a responsibility he takes very seriously. “It’s men, it’s women, it’s white, it’s black. All different aspects of the LGBT community. If we don’t take that on to do it, who will? Isn’t that what theater does? They show you the narratives by putting these stories in front of you.”
Other shows that stick out to Childers are The Time Keeper, a story about the holocaust and how the Nazis treated gay men, and The Radicalization of Rolf. “It’s a look inside how Rolf from The Sound of Music was radicalized. It tells the story from his point of view. In this story, Rolf is gay and is being manipulated behind the scenes to do the things that he does.”
Staging A Pandemic Comeback
By 2020, Childers and Island City Stage were really hitting their stride. Shows were packed, season ticket sales were up, and people were talking. But while the community was buzzing, the world stopped. “Right before the pandemic, we had two season eight shows under our belt. Looking back to season seven, a pinnacle year for us with record subscriptions and tickets sold, and then everything went to heck.”
Unlike a play, no one knew what to do or how the ending would be scripted. “We waited, like everyone did, and we opened season nine with a one person show and took all the precautions and produced all of our season.” The theater monitored ever changing guidelines and safety protocols. That meant turning stage productions into video productions. “We did it all in person and online. We filmed each show at great expense. We filmed them really well. No one was gonna watch it if it looked bad.”
By the time large gatherings were declared safe, things took off again. “People really came to the shows and we did well because they were ready. By the end of the season, we were adding extra shows to make sure we could meet the demand.”
Looking To the Future
Bigger isn’t always better, but it may be inevitable. While the creative team’s imaginations are limitless, their capacity for larger productions is somewhat limited. “There are shows we’d like to do that are bigger than our space, so we’re taking a hard look at other spaces. It’s time to think about that and how we get the funding to do it.”
“There’s a lot of competition out there.” He’s referring to The Foundry, which hosts Ronnie Larson’s production and Erynn Dalton’s Infinite Abyss shows. “We have a great working relationship. What’s good for one is good for the other. We support each other.”
While the theaters produce different shows, they often serve the same audiences. However, when The Foundry needs something, Island City helps where they can and vice versa. Childers says when one thrives, everyone thrives. “Ronnie and Erynn are both producing next door, and they’re friends. We call each other and ask for help. That’s always positive.”
No matter what the future holds or where, Childers says the one thing that won’t change is the commitment to diverse LGBTQIA+ stories. “There are so many stories to be told and we want them to be told well. That’s why we do it.”
For tickets and more information, visit IslandCityStage.org.
