About Us

Our Story

Established in 1987, our organization was started with the purpose to bring quality live theatre to artists and audiences in our area.  we are proud to continue that legacy today.  It is our belief that theatre is a life-transforming experience and, accordingly, we seek to provide diverse quality programming to the community at a reasonable cost.

Through the summer of 2010, The Green Room Community Theatre rented space at the Newton-Conover Auditorium.  Massive growth in Green Room programs and needs had caused the Board of Directors to mount a Capital Campaign in 2008 to fund a permanent home for the theatre.  With generous support from Bob and Michele McCreary, as well as others in the community, the old Newton Post Office located on the 1924 Courthouse Square in downtown Newton was acquired and renovated into the Old Post Office Playhouse.  The Green Room moved into its brand new, state-of-the-art facility and mounted its first show there, The King and I, on October 8th, 2010.

From its humble beginning of two shows per season, The Green Room has matured, and currently, we offer twelve productions between our Main Stage and Black Box Theatre each season. Our main-stage productions include one all-youth show and one or more “family” shows involving roles for all ages so that families can participate in play production together. Diverse, non-traditional casting is encouraged in all our productions.

In addition, we present “Shakespeare in the Park” each season as well as a full-scale second-stage production (usually with an all-youth cast). We also offer a one-week summer Shakespeare drama camp for youth and weekly after-school acting classes for grades K-12. A troupe of adult actors, known as The Green Bean Players, presents classic fairy tales targeted to K-6 audiences each semester and has toured their performances throughout the community. These Green Bean productions, as well as several other shows each season, are offered to area students as school field trips giving the opportunity to attend live theatre to many children who, otherwise, might not be able to have such an experience.

The Green Room Community Theatre has experienced great success since its inception. All age groups attend, perform, create, teach, or volunteer in more than two dozen performances and programs every year. Because its mission is to make live theatre accessible to all, The Green Room offers many free programs, school discounts, financial aid, and scholarships including the Mary Catherine Shivers Scholarship  & The Bob & Michele McCreary Scholarship.  Our total participation in 2019-20  for all of our events including main-stage and second-stage productions, youth program enrollment, volunteers, and community and fund-raising events surpassed 35,000.