You purchase your tickets at the box office and enter the lobby to enjoy a glass of wine, beer or soda prior to the show. The walls, painted in a warm neutral shade provide the ideal backdrop for the framed etchings, photographs, and paintings of local artists. "Perhaps one would enhance the new living room décor," you muse, settling into a chair to await the house opening. Quiet chatter fills the room, accompanied by a string quartet playing in one corner, as theatergoers gather pre-show.

Upon opening the house, the usher greets you, welcoming you to the theater, handing you a program featuring cast bios, a play synopsis and advertisements from area merchants. The house walls, painted in rich burgundy add elegance to the garage's cinderblock fortress surrounding the audience.

Wait. . .garage? Cinderblocks? Certainly! This is not the Temple Buell Theater, although similar elements are in place, but the vision for Westminster's up and coming Gaslight Theater Company, located at 7287 Lowell Boulevard in an empty mechanic's garage.

The masterminds behind this endeavor are Jane Schoenradt Allard, Gaslight's Executive Director and Ed Schoenradt, the Artistic Director. The couple, who met through local acting experiences, got married last April while working on a show. Allard stated, "We worked very well together and wanted to continue to do so. When auditioning for shows, there is no guarantee that you will be cast together, so the answer was to start our own company." It was also Schoenradt's "dream to start a non-equity, professional theater for many years," said Allard.

These Westminster residents began achieving their goal by contacting several different cities, inquiring about potential spaces in which to house the fledgling company. After reading about the Arts Initiative on the Westminster webpage, they knew they had found a home for Gaslight. According to Allard, "Westminster fit in perfectly with what we wanted to do. Our goal is to showcase all aspects of visual and performing arts by exhibiting the works of local artists and musicians in collaboration with theatrical performances."

Schoenradt added, "The city had a building with a large space and no theater company to use it and we were a company seeking a building."

Once Allard and Schoenradt learned that the building was once a vehicle repair shop, they were "a little skeptical." Allard said. "But once we saw the space, we saw its potential for our purposes."

Indeed, the former workshop is divided into three areas: the small front room will be used as a box office, a middle room will become the theater lobby, and the largest room will be converted into a stage and seating area for about ninety people.

With paint donated by the City of Westminster, reformation began. "The City of Westminster, and in particular Vicky Bunsen, has been very supportive of everything we've done," said Allard. The greatest challenge thus far? "Painting the cinderblock!" joked Allard.

For more information about the Gaslight Theater Company visit the website at home.earthlink.net/~gaslighttheatre.