We’ve got a ticket to the state theater of North Carolina. That’s right, we’re at the Flat Rock Playhouse, getting a special look at this amazing institution that brings Broadway-caliber shows here to the mountains of North Carolina.
This place got its start back in 1952 when the Vagabond Players finally settled down on a permanent site here in the village of Flat Rock. The State Theatre of North Carolina designation came in 1961.
What began as a few weeks of summer performances is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences.
On a previous episode of the show we were able to visit the Carl Sandburg home – right across the street. He was an avid supporter of the Playhouse and today those supporters continue to come by the thousands.
The house holds 422 patrons. Last year alone the Playhouse hosted over 55,000 theatre-goers.
Here they are treated to first class entertainment from a variety of genres – from concerts to the classics.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of the arts you can still have big fun here. They make it a point to have something for everyone. And they’re also big on theatre education and bringing along that next generation of proud theatre nerds.
The Flat Rock Playhouse’s educational arm, Playhouse Jr. performs educational shows to thousands of Elementary School students each fall in addition to offering after school and summer arts education classes.
And college age performers flock here every year to take part in their apprenticeship program to hone their skills and have a lot of fun to go along with all that hard work.
Places like Flat Rock Playhouse are a huge part of the fabric of our local communities. This is where we come together to laugh and cry and forget about our differences for a little while. Which is why it’s so great that we continue to give them our love and support.
Flat Rock Playhouse and others like it throughout Ingles country continue to exist because of the generous donations of folks like us. And what a worthy place to support. As they say in the biz… the show must go on.
