The same week the BoarsHead Theatre went dark, its former artistic director, Kristine Thatcher, scored a big success.

Thatcher's newly formed organization Stormfield Theatre hosted its first function, a fundraiser at Stage 1210 in Lansing's Old Town. The 60-plus seats were filled last Friday night at the tiny venue, and the next night volunteers were scrambling to find enough seats for the 75 folks who showed up.

Those who paid the $15 admission were treated to a delightful reading of "Kimberly Akimbo," Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire's dark comedy about a teenage girl suffering from an illness similar to progeria that causes her to age four-and-a-half times faster than normal. (When her dad worries about her dating a boy, she tells him not to stress she went through menopause four years ago.)

The audience welcomed Thatcher warmly when she took the stage beforehand. Many in the audience were angry and disappointed when BoarsHead didn't renew her contract last summer to save money. Thatcher brought with her to Stormfield one of BoarsHead's regulars, Carmen Decker, who was perfectly cast as the lead character. Decker and BoarsHead co-founder John Peakes pulled out of BoarsHead's fall production of "Beau Jeste" after Thatcher was let go.

In the program Thatcher addressed whether Lansing can support another theatrical venture. "Absolutely it can," she wrote, "if that theatre provides quality, and has a sound reputation as a not-for-profit."

Contrast that to BoarsHead's new direction: It is scheduled to return Jan. 28 with "The Nerd."

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