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StageCenter, Inc. is Bryan/College Station’s first Community Theatre. It began in 1964 with a small group of people who spent much of the first year just reading plays together and performing some public readings. Vic Wiening, a professor of English at Texas A&M University and William Andrew, a local lawyer and pathologist, were the founders. They were joined by Louise Rotsch, Sol Kline, Wanda Daisa, Rebecca and Wendell Landmann, and Brookes and Annaliese Cofer.
In StageCenter’s 40 year history, over 500 various plays, musicals and melodramas have come to life on stage. Plays were performed in the old Woolworth building on Main Street in downtown Bryan, in churches and in schools. StageCenter’s first play was “The Hollow Crown” and was presented in the MSC ballroom on the campus of Texas A&M University. From 1968 to 1984, StageCenter occupied the second floor of the old Bryan Country Club on the Municipal Golf Course (that building was later condemned).
We then traveled to a very small space in a strip center on Welborn Road, so we were very pleased when we were offered the Palace Theatre on Main St. This was generously donated by Shulman Theatres Group. We were just about to open with “Oklahoma” when, after almost 2 weeks of heavy rain, the roof fell in and we were forced to move again to a strip mall on 29th St. (We couldn’t afford the immediate move, so we did two shows in the Presbyterian Church and one at the old Allen Academy that financed the moving expenses.) Much of our equipment, props and lights were destroyed when the Palace collapsed, so we began to replenish this equipment as it could be afforded.
In 1993, StageCenter relocated itself in the old Brown-Allen Motor Company at 701 N. Main in downtown Bryan. This building was not ours and required extensive improvements to give our theatre patrons a viable venue.
So again, we moved, this time to our current location, the old 3rd Floor Cantina above Mr. G’s Pizza at 201B W. 26th St. The communities of Bryan/College Station, our Board of Directors, Members of StageCenter and the Arts Council of Brazos Valley have lent invaluable support to StageCenter’s goal of providing quality theatre to the citizens of the Brazos Valley.
Through these 40 plus years, StageCenter remains the only totally all volunteer community theatre and our doors remain open to those who want to participate in the exciting and rewarding experience of live theatre.
StageCenter is a non-profit 501 c (3) Community Theatre.
Funded, in part, by a Grant from the Arts Council of Brazos Valley and with support by The Eagle.
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