The Phoenix Theatre Company is a professional theatre company located in Phoenix, Arizona. Started in 1920 by a theatre troupe known as the Phoenix Players, the theatre is among the oldest continually operating theaters west of the Mississippi River. The theatre is a non-profit corporation and encompasses both the Mainstage and Hormel Theatre productions, as well as Partners That Heal and numerous community-focused programs.

History

The Phoenix Little Theatre was founded by

Harry Behn Harry Behn (September 24, 1898September 6, 1973) was an American screenwriter and children's author. He was involved in writing scenes and continuities for a number of screenplays, including the war film ''The Big Parade ''in 1925, and '' Hell ...

and

Maie Bartlett Heard Maie Bartlett Heard (1868–1951) was an Arizona-based collector and philanthropist, who cofounded the Heard Museum of native American art. Background Born on June 11, 1868, in Chicago, to parents Adolphus C. Bartlett and Mary Pitkin. Her fathe ...

(who also founded the

Heard Museum The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitio ...

) as the Phoenix Players in 1920—joining into the Little Theatre Movement of that time. Four years later, it moved into the Heard family's coach house at Central and McDowell Roads. In 1928, the theatre applied for its articles of incorporation and by its eighth season boasted 424 members. By 1940, the theatre had close to 1,000 members and remained operational throughout World War II. The theatre moved into its current home, within a municipal cultural complex that included the Phoenix Art Museum and the

Phoenix Public Library The Phoenix Public Library is a municipal library system serving Phoenix, Arizona, and operated by the city of Phoenix. There are 16 branches currently in operation citywide, anchored by the flagship Burton Barr Central Library on the northern edg ...

, in 1951. In 1954, the theatre began its Children's Theatre. In 1985, the "Little" was dropped from the name, leaving it simply the "Phoenix Theatre." In 2019, the organization was renamed officially as The Phoenix Theatre Company.

References

External links

Phoenix Theatre

History

References

External links

Further reading