On the other side of the tracks one might expect to find; a bad neighborhood, poverty or even crime. In downtown Fullerton however, you can expect to find The Maverick, a small community theater whose charm lies not in its façade, but its atmosphere.

The theater shares the back half of an office building that has been converted from a warehouse built in 1986. Boasting not one, but two stages, both for different occasions and events, The Maverick has the ability to transform itself for a variety of uses. When you enter the theater and purchase your ticket at the box office you are transported into a 1920’s speakeasy complete with its own stage and bar. This first stage is the Cabaret stage, designed by famed theater designer, Joseph Musil, accredited designer of The Crest and the El Capitan theatres in Los Angeles. His flair for Art Deco lends the Cabaret stage a fun and relaxing ambiance, feel free to grab a drink, sit and relax before your show. If you can’t make it early enough don’t fret, there will be time during Intermission as well.

On Friday and Saturday nights the Cabaret stage is hijacked to perform Improv Shmimprov, improvisational comedy at its finest. If you have your night available after the show stick around or return for the improv shenanigans, this is improv, so no two shows are alike and with a bevy of actors at their disposal you are certain to catch some real laughs. Come early and sit close, join in the fun, you won’t regret it.

The main stage is locating behind a curtained doorway, when it’s show time, the curtain will be removed allowing you access to the main theater with its stadium seating. There is not a bad seat in the house, but if you take a seat towards the front, you may really feel like you’re part of the action.

The staging here is dynamic, it is never “flat” and two dimensional, they are artisans at crafting such a small space into such an organic living being, and they’ll take full use of the stage too. You will at times have actors’ mere inches from you, and at others, booming lines from the back of the stage on a high riser. The warehouse’s high ceiling allows them an extra dimension of stage you wouldn’t normally get from a small community theater and whenever it’s warranted they will take full advantage of it. The set and lighting designs are superb; this is where the theater really shines.

The theater itself is run by Brian Newell and his wife Heidi. Started at the Block in Orange on September 6th, 2002, in the vacated Mars Music location, The Maverick kicked open the doors with Brian’s The King, a stage play he wrote that had just recently left Stages Theater, another local community theater offering in Fullerton. Where did The Maverick get its name? From the giant concrete M left over by Mars Music when it closed its doors. The theater moved to a new Block location two more times, once in January 2003, and again in the summer. It was finally forced to close its doors at the Block on June 6th, 2004 after an almost two year run, but this did not deter Brian who moved the theater to its current location at 110 E. Walnut Ave in Fullerton.

Brian is no stranger to the realm of theater; having written and performed for the stage he grew up in Fullerton attending Troy High School and Fullerton College, and has been a supporter of theater his entire life occasionally lending a hand to his alma mater Troy High School.

I encourage all who haven’t before to give it a shot, and to all whom already have, to return.

Art creates culture, and culture creates art.

The Maverick’s next production will be Angels in America, which runs January 16th through February 8th, and is a joint effort between The Maverick and Theatre Out. The play will run on Fridays and Saturdays at 7PM with a Sunday matinee at 3PM. Tickets can be purchased online at their website or the box office can be reached at 714-526-7070

Interested in participating at The Maverick? Auditions for The Full Monty are Sunday January 4th from 1:30 to 6:00 PM. The list of characters and audition instructions can be found at their website, http://www.mavericktheater.com/