I live in the greater Nashville, Tennessee, area with a population of around 1.3 million, and home to over 50 community theaters. I do not mean movie theaters or music venues or school shows, but independent theaters with a stage where live actors put on musicals and plays ranging from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Over the past decade, being married to an active theatrical performer, I have been to many of these theaters multiple times and feel qualified to generalize just a bit about them. They are typically smallish, seating only about 100 to 150 people, which creates a wonderfully intimate experience. Nashville, nicknamed “Music City USA,” has an abundance of talent, so most of the shows are well acted and sung, in spite of often modest facilities, in shopping malls, former churches, or senior centers. Typically, these shows have volunteer casts, or the principal actors are paid only …