Community Theatre of Terre Haute

Community Theatre of Terre Haute (CT) is a non-professional, all-volunteer civic theatre organization based in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. According to its official website, it is the second oldest non-professional theatre in continuous operation in Indiana and operates with no paid staff, relying entirely on volunteers. The organization presents a full season of comedies, dramas, and musicals across two stages, and describes its mission as "to entertain, educate, and enrich the community through the dramatic arts." Its centennial celebration is framed around the slogan "Celebrating 100 Years Of Everyone Playing A Part." The theatre traces its origins to 1926, when Madge Polk Townsley proposed the creation of a nonprofessional civic theatre group to the Pen and Brush Club and the Woman's Department Club. Inspired by the American little theatre movement and by the work of Jesse Bonstelle, Townsley helped launch a company that produced its first four plays in 1928 at the Garfield High School auditorium. Over the following decades the group performed in a series of borrowed and repurposed venues, including Indiana State Normal School Hall and the former Hippodrome theatre, before eventually settling into its own home. Programming at Community Theatre of Terre Haute spans a broad repertoire. Recent and historical seasons have included titles such as "Clue," "Rabbit Hole," "The Prom," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Mamma Mia!," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Hairspray," "The Rocky Horror Show," and "Shrek," among many others. The organization typically mounts around six productions per season on two stages, mixing contemporary works with classics and family-friendly fare. As a community theatre, CT is structured around participation rather than commercial production. Auditions are generally open to the public, and the organization explicitly welcomes performers of all backgrounds and experience levels, including first-time actors. Volunteers contribute both on stage and behind the scenes in areas such as direction, design, construction, and administration. The theatre also engages audiences through newsletters, social media, and community outreach. Community Theatre of Terre Haute should not be confused with the historic Community Theatre building in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, a separate entity listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Terre Haute organization is an active producing theatre brand and institution serving the Wabash Valley region of Indiana.

Community Theatre of Terre Haute was founded through the efforts of Madge Polk Townsley, who in 1926 approached the Pen and Brush Club and the Woman's Department Club with the idea of sponsoring a nonprofessional civic theatre group. Townsley had been inspired by a visit to Detroit with her sister-in-law Mary Townsley and her friend Jesse Bonstelle, owner of the Bonstelle Playhouse, who had trained nationally known actors and fostered the emerging little theatre movement in America. The idea took root, and in 1928 the Community Theatre produced four plays between February and May, presented in the Garfield High School auditorium under the direction of Frieda Bedwell. In 1929 the group moved to Indiana State Normal School Hall, a large lecture room with chairs on a flat floor and a narrow platform of polished oak serving as a stage. In 1931 the company moved to the vacant Hippodrome, a once-grand legitimate theatre that was by then crumbling, shabby, and cold. Community Theatre remained at the Hippodrome until the fall of 1947. During this period various professional directors were retained, rehearsals ran about six weeks, and productions culminated in a single Thursday-night performance—reportedly chosen because Thursday was "maid's night out." Furnishings and costumes were borrowed, local merchants were generous, and newspaper and radio publicity was free. Volunteers worked alongside union stagehands to create settings, often using the Hippodrome's own immense flats from a bygone era. Over the following decades the organization continued to produce a regular season, evolving into a fixture of Terre Haute's cultural life. By the 2010s and 2020s it was mounting roughly six productions per season across two stages, with a repertoire mixing comedies, dramas, musicals, and family shows. The 2019–2020 season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the remainder of the 92nd season. The theatre resumed full seasons thereafter, and by the mid-2020s it was celebrating its centennial under the banner "Celebrating 100 Years Of Everyone Playing A Part." As of the 2025–2026 season—its 97th—the organization remained 100% volunteer-operated with no paid staff, describing itself as the second oldest non-professional theatre in continuous operation in Indiana.

• 2025

  The theatre celebrates its centennial with the 97th season under the slogan 'Celebrating 100 Years Of Everyone Playing A Part.'

• 2019

  The 92nd season is interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic; remaining performances are canceled.

• 1931

  The company moves to the vacant Hippodrome theatre, where it remains until fall 1947.

• 1929

  The group moves to Indiana State Normal School Hall.

• 1928

  Community Theatre produces its first four plays at the Garfield High School auditorium under director Frieda Bedwell.

• 1926

  Madge Polk Townsley proposes a nonprofessional civic theatre group to the Pen and Brush Club and the Woman's Department Club.

Non-professional, all-volunteer civic theatre; second oldest continuously operating non-professional theatre in Indiana.

• Clue

• Rabbit Hole

• The Prom

• Little Shop of Horrors

• Mamma Mia!

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• Hairspray

• The Rocky Horror Show

• Shrek

1. 1Community Theatre of Terre Haute official websitectth.org
2. 2About – Community Theatre of Terre Hautectth.org
3. 3Production History – Community Theatre of Terre Hautectth.org
4. 4Audition – Community Theatre of Terre Hautectth.org
5. 5Community Theatre (Pine Bluff, Arkansas) – Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
6. 6Community Theatre – Wikidatawikidata.org