Wild Horse Productions is new resident theater group at BAC

Brewery Arts Center and Wild Horse Productions forged an alliance that will provide Carson City with both adult and children's theater at the BAC.

BAC members, informed in an email Friday in the aftermath of an announcement, were told Wild Horse will become the resident theater company at the capital city's cultural center.

"Welcoming Wild Horse and their staff to our facilities is a great 'kick-off' to a new and exciting year of rich collaborations," said Tami Castillo Shelton, BAC director of programs, in the announcement.

The BAC still will rent space to be used by other artists or arts organizations. But the Wild Horse resident status gives it a central location and the BAC a permanent collaborative theater arts partner.

Wild Horse Productions consists of Wild Horse Theater, which produces adult fare, and Wild Horse Children's Theater, which is in the process of exiting space at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada.

"We really see this as a new model for cooperation between two (cultural) organizations," said Carol Scott, executive and artistic director of Wild Horse Children's Theater.

Pat Josten is executive producer at Wild Horse Productions and Jeffrey Scott, Carol's husband, is artistic director for the adult theater unit. Jeffrey Scott also is technical director for both the adult and children's divisions.

He said, even as the BAC-Wild Horse alliance was forming, that he plans to put on "Death Trap", an adult play, later this year and the children's unit will do "The Little Mermaid, Jr." Dates are yet to be set.

Josten said Wild Horse has enjoyed "huge community support" as the children's unit transitions from the museum. "We're anxious to just get things moving forward," she said.

She also said the children's unit summer camp, which had been planned at the museum, will instead take place July 30-Aug. 10 at Silver State High School.

The Princess and the Pea and other magical adventures Rising Stars summer musical theater is for children in elementary grades 1-5.

The BAC-Wild Horse partnership, meanwhile, was praised as a way to attract expanded audiences, offer joint marketing and membership opportunities, and collaborate on grants or other funding. The two, however, retain their independence and remain separate nonprofits.