Winter Park's Breakthrough Theater turns 3

Cars and trucks race past the unpretentious plain white brick façade every day along Fairbanks Avenue. Inside, colored spotlights shine on an unlikely turn of fate. If you’ve never ventured inside The Breakthrough Theatre, it’s likely you’ve never had the chance to meet Wade Hair, a man that is living proof that dreams do come true.

Opening the theater had been a vision of Wade’s for a long time, who started in the business doing musical revues in banquet rooms of hotels.

Shortly after, he became an educator, and in his final 13th year of teaching, his health declined rapidly. While most would view this as an excuse to shut down, Wade turned it into the opportunity of a lifetime.

“It became a now-or-never scenario,” Wade said, through glassy eyes. “I thought that if I’m going to pursue this dream, I better do it now.”

And so he did.

With the help of his parents, he opened The Breakthrough Theatre in May 2009.

“This had always been his dream,” Annie, Wade’s mother, said. “We just decided that his dream needed to come true.”

With the odds stacked against him, Wade chose to open the theater during the economic downturn, which partially inspired the theater’s name.

Wade’s son, Daniel, came up with the name one day while brainstorming ideas. Not only were they trying to “break through” the Orlando theater scene, but also through Wade’s illness. The name proved rather fitting.

Boasting the smallest theater in Central Florida, Wade said the intimate setting has proven to be quite a blessing.

“Other theaters are struggling to fill their seats, but I don’t have that problem because I don’t have that many to fill up,” Wade joked. “People just really appreciate the intimacy — they’re right there, it’s a connection.”

That connection is evident to everyone inside.

The theater immediately brings back a flood of childhood memories spent at your grandparents’ house on the weekends.

A walk inside could very well be a stroll through the Hair family’s home. Wade’s father, Sid, is the business manager and his mother, Annie, runs the concession stand, serving homemade baked goods for every performance. Wade’s two children, Erynn and Daniel, also help out when they can.

If not for the atmosphere alone, once you walk into the performance area, the intimacy is impossible to deny.

The chestnut wooden stage, roughly about the size of a master bedroom, commands a crowd of 40.

Wade steps on to say a few words and, immediately, the audience is captivated. He’s enthusiastic and evocatively animated, but what’s most commanding is his infectious smile.

Passion breeds success, which Wade has experienced plenty of in a short amount of time. His proudest moment came this year at the Orlando Fringe Festival, where they sold out every performance — the only theater to ever do so, he said.

That type of success, Wade acknowledges, can only be achieved with genuine dedication.

“Heart — I think we have huge heart, and when people come, we make them feel welcome,” Wade said. “When people come here, I tell them, ‘welcome to the Breakthrough family.’”

That vibe is what keeps people coming back. Performers and spectators of all ages are repeat visitors to the theater for the way it makes them feel.

“Anyone is welcome and the door is always open,” Maxwell Goldstone, age 13, said, with excitement. “You definitely feel like family.”

The Breakthrough Theatre will celebrate its third anniversary at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 22, at Master Class Academy, 711-B Orange Ave. Wade Hair and Ginger Minj will host this sold-out event scheduled to feature popular songs from Season 3 shows. Visit breakthroughtheatre.com

Family seems to be a running theme throughout the theater and Wade admits that without his support system, his dreams would have remained out of reach. The theater’s tremendously unexpected success strikes an emotional chord in Wade as he reflects.

“I didn’t think we’d be around for three years,” Wade said. “I didn’t think I’d be around three years.”

All along, Wade wanted to do shows that meant something to him with the hopes that the community would follow suit. Now, as the theater prepares for its three-year anniversary, Wade is more thankful than ever.

“I’m just so proud,” Wade said. “I knew I would do shows that people would enjoy, but I never thought it would get to where it is now. I’m real proud. I don’t take anything for granted.”