The Blog

80 Years of ACT: July 17, 1946

In the early twentieth century, a new movement was taking hold across the United States. Known as the Little Theatre movement, it emerged as an alternative to the increasingly commercial, profit-driven theatre industry. Rather than relying on touring productions and Broadway successes, these theatres encouraged communities to create their own stories, develop local artists and build permanent cultural institutions. In 1917, theatre advocate Louise Burleigh introduced the phrase “community theatre,” giving a name to a growing movement that believed every community could enrich its civic life through locally created theatre.
That movement took root in Asheville. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, a number of theatre organizations brought locally produced theatre to audiences across the city. Among the most active were the Asheville Little Theatre, The Players Guild, and the Asheville Theatre Guild. While each operated independently, they reflected the growing national interest in locally organized, volunteer-driven theatre.

On June 9, 1946, the Asheville Citizen-Times announced the formation of Asheville Community Theatre, Inc. and invited interested citizens to attend an organizational meeting on Thursday, June 13, where the group’s proposed charter would be presented for a vote. The article described the new organization as being founded upon Asheville’s “growing desire…for good stage entertainment.” Rather than rushing into production, the organizing committee spent months studying successful community theatres and consulting with the National Theater Conference “so that it could set up a tested plan for Asheville.”Committee chairman Forest Wood believed the city deserved more than occasional productions. “The need for one is clearly apparent and keenly felt,” he said, “but the answer cannot be half-hearted. It must be a strong theater.” To ensure its future, the founders placed “the emphasis on a firm business foundation,” creating an organization they hoped would serve Asheville for generations.On July 17, 1946, Asheville Community Theatre opened its first membership campaign at the Bon Marché department store. The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that Mrs. Anita Coggins became the organization’s very first member after arriving “shortly after 10 o’clock” that morning to purchase her membership. The article noted that “the campaign will continue through July 27” and encouraged Asheville residents to become part of the new theatre.

With that, Asheville Community Theatre was off and running. ACT’s first production, Dark of the Moon, opened at the City Auditorium (now the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) on August 17 and 18, 1946, just as announced during the membership campaign. So successful was the production that it returned for a second staging on August 30 and 31, where the Asheville Citizen-Times reported it drew “an even larger crowd” than the original performances.

Like many organizations with a long history, ACT’s beginnings unfolded over several important moments rather than a single day. June 13, 1946 was the organizational meeting where attendees voted to establish Asheville Community Theater, Inc. July 17,1946 was the organization’s first public membership campaign, during which Mrs. Anita Coggins became ACT’s first official member. August 17 marked the opening of ACT’s first production, Dark of the Moon.
We choose to celebrate July 17, 1946 as our birthday because it marks the first moment the theatre opened itself to the community.

View our next post about how ACT has grown over the years.