Theatre Memphis
Encyclopedia
Theatre Memphis is a non-profit community theatre located in Memphis, Tennessee
. As one of the oldest and most successful community theatres in the country, Theatre Memphis has offered an opportunity for people with every degree of talent to become part of the creative process. The building houses two separate stages - the Sherwood Lohrey mainstage which seats 300 and the smaller black-box theatre, the Next Stage.
founder, Clarence Saunders. Eugart Yerian, a graduate of Pasadena Playhouse
in California, arrived in 1932 as theatre director and served in that position until 1961. In 1962, Sherwood Lohrey was named theatre director where he remained until his retirement in 1995. Theatre Memphis opened its doors on its current location in East Memphis on May 1, 1975.
In recent years, Theatre Memphis has expanded its personnel to 14 full time staff members and over 700 volunteers. They have also upgraded their current facilties, expand community outreach and consistently balance annual budgets
' A Christmas Carol
begun by Sherwood Lohrey in 1978. In 2010, the show was presented with an all-new redesigned set after the old one had been used for the previous 32 years
- August 20-September 12
A Delicate Balance- September 24- October 10
Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure- October 15–31
A Christmas Carol
- December 3–23
title of show
- January 14–30
Amadeus
- February 4–20
Cabaret
- March 11-April 3
Richard III
- April 8–24
Picnic
- April 29-May 15
Crazy For You
- June 3–26
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. As one of the oldest and most successful community theatres in the country, Theatre Memphis has offered an opportunity for people with every degree of talent to become part of the creative process. The building houses two separate stages - the Sherwood Lohrey mainstage which seats 300 and the smaller black-box theatre, the Next Stage.
History
Theatre Memphis was founded in 1920 and presented three one-act plays as its first performance on May 20, 1921. In 1925, the theatre opened its doors to its first permanent home, housed in a former stable. By 1929, the theatre had moved to its second permanent home on the east wing of the Pink Palace, the unfinished mansion of Piggly WigglyPiggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly is a supermarket chain operating in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. The current company headquarters is in Keene, New Hampshire....
founder, Clarence Saunders. Eugart Yerian, a graduate of Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
in California, arrived in 1932 as theatre director and served in that position until 1961. In 1962, Sherwood Lohrey was named theatre director where he remained until his retirement in 1995. Theatre Memphis opened its doors on its current location in East Memphis on May 1, 1975.
In recent years, Theatre Memphis has expanded its personnel to 14 full time staff members and over 700 volunteers. They have also upgraded their current facilties, expand community outreach and consistently balance annual budgets
Debbie Litch
In 2004, Debbie Litch was named Executive Producer.. Litch is credited with turning around the failing theatre . During her tenure, season and single ticket sales have increased 25%. In 2009, two musicals were extended because of sold-out houses.Showagon
Showagon is the educational component of Theatre Memphis whose four actors present a variety of productions that tour to local schools, libraries and other locations.Notable Productions
Theatre Memphis presents an annual production of Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
begun by Sherwood Lohrey in 1978. In 2010, the show was presented with an all-new redesigned set after the old one had been used for the previous 32 years
Current Season
Annie Get Your GunAnnie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
- August 20-September 12
A Delicate Balance- September 24- October 10
Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure- October 15–31
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
- December 3–23
title of show
Title of show
[title of show] is a one-act musical, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and a book by Hunter Bell. The show chronicles its own creation as an entry in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and follows the struggles of the author and composer/lyricist and their two actress friends during the...
- January 14–30
Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
- February 4–20
Cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
- March 11-April 3
Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
- April 8–24
Picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
- April 29-May 15
Crazy For You
Crazy for You
Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well...
- June 3–26