Who We Are
Theatre Memphis is a community theatre whose mission is “to provide outstanding theatrical experiences to enrich the lives of our audiences, participants and community.” A nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization, the idea and formation of a theater in Memphis was originated in 1920 with the first production in 1921 and the charter of incorporation signed on January 17, 1922, for The Little Theatre Players Association of Memphis, Tennessee. The stated purpose was “producing plays, encouraging the art and writing of plays, and the uplift of the drama and its allied arts....” As a subscription-based community theater, we have two performance venues where we perform up to twelve scheduled productions each season (seasons run historically August - June). The Lohrey Stage is a 400+ seat proscenium stage, and The Next Stage is an up to 100-seat black box theatre. Both spaces are enabled with state-of-the-art sound and lighting instruments and equipment. As a community theater, all of our casts and crews are volunteers, as are many of the “front of house” and “back of house” workers who do everything from ushering to the construction of our sets and costumes (up to 750 volunteers annually). With an open-door policy, we hold open auditions that are publicly advertised. Our Outreach and Education Department will, from time to time, conduct classes for the public ... many times geared toward an upcoming production. This department is also heavily involved in the community with mentor and residency programs that serve children typically underserved in the arts.
