Published: September 22, 2006 10:18 am      

The Crown Room

Where faith is the family business

BROWNSBURG — Roy Strong has been providing sound financial advice to residents of Hendricks and surrounding counties for nearly a quarter of a century.

But one day, he said, he felt driven to expand his business venture into a field he knew nothing about: Dinner theater.

Strong said the driving force behind his decision was his faith.

Actually, it was his wife, Judy, who first felt the guiding hand of faith. But her enthusiasm for bringing wholesome family entertainment to Brownsburg was contagious and, soon enough, the entire family — Roy, Judy and daughters Sarah and Stephanie (who now has the last name Wagers) — were running The Crown Room dinner theater.

Roy likes to call it Hendricks County’s best kept secret, but he admits it’s a secret he wishes more people were in on.

“At first we just wanted to bring old fashioned southern gospel to Brownsburg,” he said. “It was a favorite of mine and I wanted to share that joy with the community.”

The family converted the upper level of the Strong Building, with Roy’s financial services business taking up the lower level; booked acts straight out of Branson; and hired a catering service. In no time at all, folks began to learn about the “secret” of The Crown Room, but Strong was also discovering that southern gospel music would only get them so far. Other acts, comedy routines and different types of musical offerings, would need to be booked.

It’s been a learning experience for the entire family, but Strong says they’re in it for the long haul. They admit they have made mistakes about which acts to choose, how best to cater to guests, and how best to market their little theater, but say they’re game enough to keep trying until they get it right.

Judy decorated the interior of the theater herself and helps select upcoming acts. She said business their first year was up and down, but she firmly believes it’s only a matter of time until it’s a packed house every week.

“I heard it in my heart, that we needed to turn this into a dinner theater,” she said. “What we really wanted to do was bring Branson quality entertainment to Brownsburg and I think we have done that. We learned a lot the first year and I believe things are about to pick up.”

Ticket sales do not lie. For an upcoming show featuring Dino Kartsonakis, widely known for composing the theme to Chariots of Fire, tickets have been moving briskly; nearly half the seats have been filled and the family is thinking they might need to add a matinee show.

Although they bill themselves as a Christian dinner theater, Roy said anyone looking for “wholesome, family-themed entertainment” is welcome.

“Our doors are open for anybody,” he said. “And the people who do come always have a good time.”

In the next few months the theater will begin assembling its own theatrical troupe for stage productions and special shows. Strong said The Crown Room is developing partnerships with local groups to have more involvement from entertainers based in the community.

“I believe we have the beginnings of community theater right here,” he said.

Jackie Ketring has been working with the Strongs on promoting the theater since the beginning. She began work there as a student-intern and now works full time for the company as a paid employee.

Ketring said one show was all it took for her to see a dinner experience at The Crown Room was unlike any other.

“It’s a very warm and inviting atmosphere here,” she said. “With the Strongs, it’s not, ‘come here and watch a show,’ it’s ‘come and enjoy a show with us.’”

That makes all the difference in the world, she said.

For Roy, Judy, and the rest of the family, all that matters is that they follow their hearts and build the most successful theater business they can.

Roy said, “Operating this theater is something we never would have done if it hadn’t been for God’s hand guiding us. The closest we ever would have gotten to Dino is if we traveled to Branson. But now he’s going to be right here in our theater. This is a chance for us all to meet some really awesome performers and musicians and they all have interesting stories to tell.”

For tickets or a complete schedule of upcoming events, visit the website at www.strongcrownroom.com.