Flat Rock Playhouse Awarded 2023 North Carolina Theatre Conference George A. Parides Professional Theatre Award

Each year, the NCTC Board of Directors presents the NCTC Awards to companies, schools and individuals that have exhibited leadership roles in their community, as well as artistic, professional, or educational excellence. The Board of Directors is a group of statewide volunteers who represent the theatre industry and serve on behalf of some of the state's most prominent organizations and schools. 

 

The NCTC George A. Parides Professional Theatre Award is presented to a professional theatre company in North Carolina that has demonstrated artistic excellence and community leadership.

 

“Flat Rock Playhouse is a valuable NCTC member and an active contributor to our statewide theatre community,” states NCTC Executive Director Angie Hays. “We're pleased to honor their incredible work, from outstanding professional productions to the wide impact of their educational programs that are inspiring the next generation of theatre artists and audiences. Like all theatre companies, Flat Rock Playhouse faced many challenges during the pandemic, but despite these hurdles, the company has continued to model a commitment to artistic excellence by producing some of the highest quality productions in the state. The NCTC Board of Directors is proud to honor Flat Rock Playhouse with this award.”

 

About NCTC

The North Carolina Theatre Conference is the statewide service organization and professional association for the theatre industry. NCTC is a non-profit organization founded in 1970 and dedicated to strengthening NC's vibrant theatre industry and engaging tomorrow's artists, audiences, and advocates. NCTC members include theatre companies, K-12 schools, colleges/universities, and individual artists and arts supporters. In addition to the presentation of the NCTC Awards, the organization produces several events throughout the year including the NCTC Producing Gathering, NCTC College Day, and the statewide High School and Middle School Play Festivals. Visit www.nctc.org to learn more about NCTC. 

 

In 1937, a group of struggling performers, led by Robroy Farquhar, organized themselves as the Vagabond Players. The Vagabonds worked in a variety of places over the course of three years, and in 1940 found themselves in the Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina. The local and tourist community welcomed them with open arms when they presented their first summer season of plays in a 150-year-old grist mill they converted into The Old Mill Playhouse at Highland Lake. So successful that summer, they returned in 1941. After WWII, the Vagabond Players reorganized, came back to the region and opened a playhouse in nearby Lake Summit. The Lake Summit Playhouse thrived during the post-war years and soon the Vagabond Players were looking for a larger and permanent home. In 1952, the troupe of performers, and a newly formed board of directors made an offer to buy an 8-acre lot in the Village of Flat Rock. This new home made the Vagabonds “locals” and a rented big top gave birth to Flat Rock Playhouse. As the beautiful Western Carolina region continued to grow, so did the Playhouse and in 1961, by Act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Flat Rock Playhouse was officially designated The State Theatre of North Carolina. What began as a few weeks of summer performances in 1940 is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences. The Playhouse's dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; and Studio 52, year-round classes and workshops in theatre and film for students from kindergarten through adults. Flat Rock Playhouse now hosts over 98,000 patrons annually and is a significant contributor to the local economy and the Arts in North Carolina.

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