Mill Mountain Theatre
 A 2016 performance of Into the Woods | |
 | |
| Former names | Mill Mountain Playhouse |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 Market St SE Roanoke, Virginia United States |
| Coordinates | 37°16′17″N 79°56′22″W / 37.271477°N 79.939451°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1964 |
| Renovated | 1976 |
| Website | |
| millmountain | |
Mill Mountain Theatre (MMT) is a regional theater located at Roanoke, Virginia. Established in 1964, the institution originally performed out of the former Rockledge Inn located atop Mill Mountain in the city. That location was destroyed by fire in 1976, leading to the theater's eventual re-opening in the Center in the Square arts and culture hub in 1983.
History
[edit]The theater began its life in 1964 as the Roanoke Summer Theater, located in the former Rockledge Inn that had been built at the summit of Mill Mountain in 1891.[1][2] After one season, the group changed its name to Mill Mountain Playhouse.[3]
Despite early growing pains, the theater saw growing success in its first decade and sold out its season tickets in both 1972 and 1973.[1] In October 1976, however, the group's mountaintop playhouse burned to the ground in a case of what was later determined to be arson.[4] The theater's board of directors arranged a partnership with Roanoke's Grandin Theatre, and the troupe's performances were held there for the next seven years.[5][6]
The theater joined several other arts and culture institutions in the city that were searching for either a permanent home or more space.[7] In 1979, a partnership between the Mill Mountain Playhouse, Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts, Roanoke Valley Arts Council, Roanoke Valley Science Museum, and Roanoke Valley Historical Society announced they would be moving into shared space on Roanoke's historic market square.[7] By 1983, the location had been dubbed Center in the Square and the theater had renamed itself Mill Mountain Theatre.[1] The first performance in its new home was the musical Camelot.[1]
In 1987, the group expanded into a second, "B" theater on the arts complex's fifth floor.[1] This stage, intended for plays of a more serious tone, was later renamed the Waldron Stage and relocated to an annex of the Center in the Square.[1] In later years it would host MMT's No Shame Theatre and its Underground Roanoke series.[1]
In January 2009, after years of financial issues, MMT's board of directors were forced to cease productions in order to reorganize the theater's business operations.[8] The institution's director taught educational classes as the only active element of the nonprofit's operations.[8] In May 2010, it was announced that the group's debt had been resolved, and the theater would be aiming for a 2012 reopening.[8] In March 2012, MMT produced Greater Tuna on the Waldron Stage, its first professional performance since 2009, and on April 24, 2013, Mill Mountain Theatre returned to the Trinkle Main Stage in the newly renovated Center in the Square presenting The Marvelous Wonderettes.[9][10]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 MMT announced that they would be suspending their programming.[11] The theater resumed operations in July, 2021, with a performance of the musical Million Dollar Quartet.[11]
In March 2022, Mill Mountain Theatre was criticized for casting a white actress in the role of Vanessa in their upcoming production of In The Heights.[12] In response to the outcry, the actress stepped down from the role, then the production was canceled altogether.[12] The decision was made the next day to resume the production with a new actress and creative team.[12][13]
Productions
[edit]Mill Mountain Theatre classifies its performances into four types: Trinkle Mainstage, traditional plays and musicals; Young Audiences, shows aimed towards children; The Fringe, plays with contemporary themes and for older audiences; and Mill Mountain Music, showcases where various singers perform songs from a particular genre of music. During their 2020 season announcement, Mill Mountain Theatre renamed its Waldron Fringe series to The Fringe, to signify that one of its performances would be put on the Trinkle Stage for the first time, rather than both shows being performed on the Waldron stage.
| Trinkle Mainstage | Young Audiences | The Fringe | Mill Mountain Music | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
|
|
|
|
| 2022 |
|
|
|
|
| 2021 |
|
|
|
|
| 2020* |
|
|
|
|
| 2019 |
|
|
|
|
| 2018 |
|
|
|
|
| 2017 |
|
|
|
|
| 2016 |
|
|
N/A |
|
*All shows in the 2020 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, excluding Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical, which was instead filmed and released online. Many shows were rescheduled to be a part of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
**These Shakespeare plays were adapted from their source material to have a shorter runtime; no other alterations were made.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Harris, Belinda (15 February 2009). "Mill Mountain Theatre timeline". Roanoke Times. p. 52.
- ^ "History of Mill Mountain". Roanoke Times. 13 July 1995. p. 23.
- ^ Chapman, Jesse (1 May 1965). "Off stage". Roanoke Times. p. 22.
- ^ "Playhouse fire ruled arson". Roanoke Times. 19 October 1976. p. 17.
- ^ "OK given to raze theater". Roanoke Times. 7 December 1976. p. 15.
- ^ Allen, Mike (29 October 2017). "Showtime at the Grandin". Roanoke Times. p. 43.
- ^ a b Gladden, Chris; Harris, Sally; O'Neill, Brian (5 September 1982). "Out of the realm of dreams and into the concrete world". Roanoke Times. p. 65.
- ^ a b c Allen, Mike (21 May 2010). "Mill Mountain Theatre resolves debt, plans for 2012 reopening". Roanoke Times. p. 13.
- ^ DeBell, Jeff (27 March 2012). "MMT stages comeback with hilarious 'Tuna'". Roanoke Times. p. 23.
- ^ Allen, Mike (21 April 2013). "Mill Mountain Theatre cues the curtain raiser". Roanoke Times. p. 13.
- ^ a b Allen, Mike (23 July 2021). "'Million Dollar Quartet' rocks Mill Mountain Theatre". Roanoke Times. pp. A2.
- ^ a b c Walker, Randy (27 March 2022). "After fallout, MMT show must go on". Roanoke Times. pp. A1.
- ^ Staff, B. W. W. "Mill Mountain Theatre Will Stage Previously Canceled Production Of IN THE HEIGHTS". BroadwayWorld.com.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
