T

he Summer Mummers were the brainchild of founding members of the fledgling Midland Community Theatrein the late 1940's. Realizing the need for an annual event that would be entertaining enough to inspire volunteer work as well as ticket sales, MCT envisioned an old-fashioned "meller-drammer" augmented by a movie-ola and a vaudeville olio complete with musical acts and comedy sketches. "Every community has plenty of worthy causes needing volunteers and donations," explains 1998 Mummers producer Douglas Heck, who has learned what it means to rely so heavily on volunteer support. "They knew whatever they did had to be lots of fun so folks would help out." In the summer of 1984, the first Mummers performance was a classic melodrama entitled The Drunkard. It was a success and the tradition was born.
The Yucca Resuscitated
History of the Yucca

The Yucca Resuscitated
The Summer Mummers

Revived Theaters
Revived Texas Theaters

Concessions
The Yucca Theater's Concessions

In the coming years, members of the theatre would write original scripts specifically for the Mummers. While many of the plays had oil-related themes, they were just as likely to lampoon politics or take place in outer space. The first original script was Rascality on the Rig -- or Oil's Well That Ends Well, the hilarious tale of dashing hero Terrence Trueblue, his faithful sidekick Sliderule Simpson and lovely heroine Patience Plugback who are forced to match wits with dastardly villains Lester Leasehold and Lady Lucretia. In the respected Mummers tradition, audience members cheer the hero, hiss the villain and throw food (in this case, popcorn) at the players on the stage and at each other.


For fifty years now, castmembers and volunteers have donated hundreds of hours to bring the Mummers to life for thirty shows each summer. The productions are double-cast to ease the burden somewhat "but it still requires 100 people every night for every one of those 30 performances," reports Heck. Volunteers tend to costumes, move scenery, run lights and sound, sell drinks and distribute the all important popcorn. "We sell just about as much popcorn as anybody else in town, $32,000 worth every year," he says. The Mummers bring in about $260,000 per year, fully one quarter of MCT's annual operating budget.
 Summer Mummers
The Summer Mummers in rehearsal

This summer, MCT is celebrating the Mummers Golden Jubilee season with a reprise of Rascality on the Rig. The opening weekend kicked off June 25 with a gala outdoor banquet in a tent in front of the theatre and a weekend of performances featuring an all-star cast headed by theatre founder and long-time director Art W. Cole as the hero. Performances of the Summer Mummers continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night through Labor Day.

Wouldn't old T.S. Hogan be proud to know that his opulent creation is once again the cultural mecca he envisioned, entertaining the citizenry and generating funds to ensure that the theatre arts continue to flourish in West Texas.

Yucca Theater: 208 N. Colorado, Midland. 915/682-6077

Epilogue: More Texas Theater Revivals

For more on the history of Texas movie houses, read "The Last Picture Shows," from the December 1995 issue of Texas Monthly.

Theater seat photo courtesy CitySearch Austin. All other photos courtesy the Yucca Theater and the Midland Chamber of Commerce.