GEORGETOWN — The Williamson County Courthouse will open its doors to a local business in September and October.
The Commissioners Court approved a contract with Georgetown Palace Theatre to use the 26th District Courtroom to produce a play during its meeting July 25.
The Palace will perform “You Can’t Do That, Dan Moody”, a historical play involving the former Texas governor and Taylor resident Dan Moody. Palace performers will re-enact the play in the exact setting where the events took place 100 years ago.
“I asked (Rachel) Arnold, who serves on the historical commission, to reach out to them because it’s the hundredth anniversary,” County Judge Bill Gravell said. “I felt like we needed to have the production here in the historic courtroom.”
Written by Tom Swift, the play is a re-enactment of a trial that took place in 1923 that was the country’s first successful prosecution of the Ku Klux Klan. Moody was the district attorney for the county at the time of the trial and was the prosecutor for this case.
Rather than paying the county a license fee, Gravell asked the Palace to donate $5,000 to the county’s historical commission. He said he also asked that proceeds from the show go to support the commission
as well. The Palace will begin performing shows at the courtroom Sept. 29 and will close Oct. 15. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., unless ticket demands add extra performances.
“It’s important to remember those things,” said Ron Watson, Georgetown Palace executive artistic director. “The community loves this play. They’ve always come out to support it each and every time it’s been produced.”
The agreement was approved as originally written, except for the county adding the need for a security deposit. Commissioners added the requirement of the theater paying $2,000 to help cover a potential deductible.
While the county was listed as insured in the contract, Commissioner Cynthia Long wanted to make sure the costs were completely covered in case of damage.
“My experience lately with dealing with insurance is not so great,” Long said. “I can support this if we add a clause with some sort of security deposit.”
The Palace additionally agreed to reimburse the costs of county staff members and police officers working overtime due to the production.
