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Abilene Community Theatre

http:www.abilenecommunitytheatre.com

In November 1954 the Abilene Community Theatre presented its first play, The Apple of His Eye, in the Fair Park Municipal Auditorium. The park is now named Oscar Rose Park and the cavernous old building has been razed - replaced by Safety City. And less than one block away stands the present ACT building.

For four years ACT bounced from one borrowed stage to another - the Little Theatre at McMurry, Abilene High School, an exhibits building at the West Texas Fairgrounds, even a courtroom in the Taylor County Courthouse for The Caine Mutiny Court Martial - until 1958 when ACT built a permanent home in its current location. It was also in 1958 that ACT was chartered by the State of Texas.

During its first 11 years, ACT plays were directed by volunteers form the community - sixteen directors in all - but a large portion of them were directed by two people. Mrs. Frank Sublett and Ernest Sublett.

Since 1965 the Theatre has employed a professional managing director, and the staff has grown to include a technical director, a box office manager, and maintenance man. There have been six managing directors: Dr. W. A. Gregory, Gary Eldridge. Rosalie Robinson, Robert Foard, John A. Robinson, and our current director, Robert James

Barton. The main theatre building was remodeled and expanded in 1970 to provide badly needed space for offices, concessions, storage, dressing rooms and set construction.

Some of Abilene's most outstanding citizens have served as ACT President and on its Board of Directors. Under their leadership it has grown into a healthy mature theatre of which Abilene can be genuinely proud. So many have done so much to assure ACT's success that all the names would be an unmanageably long list here, but they are and will be always remembered and honored here

Abilene Community Theatre 801 South Mockingbird Abilene,Texas 79605 325-673-6271

http:www.abilenecommunitytheatre.com