- February 5, 2025
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Terence Van Auken and his partner Carrie Van Tol had been actors in the Volusia County area for several years when they began to feel there was more out there than what the local community theaters were offering.
What started out as a thought soon turned into reality when the two decided to create a space for performances that veered from some of the traditional shows people were seeing. At the beginning of 2017 with the help of a few friends, they were able to open the The Stage at Thank you Five in Port Orange to function as a non-profit venue for productions.
Director Rip Pellaton, who met Van Auken and Van Tol at the Daytona Playhouse, said he and his wife had felt the same frustrations with the local productions and were thrilled when the new venue began to take shape.
"You weren't getting all the opportunities you wanted, and shows seemed limited in what they were about," Pellaton said.
Most of the people at TY5 work during the day, and everyone helps where they are needed, but the entire process has become a labor of love.
The venue soon expanded from focusing solely on theater to including a cafe-lounge area for more intimate entertainment, such as stand up comedy. And as the theater heads into its third season, the people behind Thank You Five have begun to look back at where they came from and turn to the future for new goals.
"One of our original goals was to create a space where people like Rip and actors can come and really thrive and make the show itself the least important part of the process, that the rehearsal and the learning and growing as actors and prop people is a whole experience for them and that the show is just one of the positive byproducts of that," Van Auken said.
Pellaton, who is currently working on the two-person show "How to Date a Feminist," said he wants to see TY5 grow but at the same time keep the setting personal.
"Our goal is not to have more seats; our goal is to have more of an audience," Pellaton said.
One of the show's actors, Heidi Ackerson, said being a part of the production at Thank You Five has been about the experience and the unique setting the venue offers.
"For me it's more about this theater," Ackerson said. "This is a very different theater than you'll find anywhere else in Volusia County."
Van Auken echoed similar thoughts, saying that while he would love to have more volunteers help with productions and expand rehearsal space, he likes how Thank You Five is currently set up. In addition, however, he is looking for ways to reach a new audience, especially a younger generation.
Ackerson said that he would like to inspire others the same way he was encouraged by a high school teacher to pursue theater.
"Hopefully, someday, somebody will be saying that about me," Ackerson said.
Van Auken said they are partnering with Spruce Creek High School and Atlantic High School to put on programs with students. The hope is to eventually create a children's program. He said that the TY5 group wants to appeal to a younger audience as they are the future.
For now, Van Auken enjoys running a theater on a smaller scale and the freedom it provides. He said it allows them to provide the entertainment they are interested in and that it fills a space in the community. Van Auken said that he wants TY5 to be involved in as many areas of the community as possible and to be a crucial part of Port Orange, adding that without the community, Thank You Five wouldn't be here.
"I think there's a niche for it," Van Auken said. "I think we'll build an audience that doesn't even know they like theater yet. I'm hoping we can inspire a whole new generation of theatergoers."
