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RCT History
Rome
Community Theater, Est. 1953
The Rome Community Theater
has a
long, and proud history. Formed in 1953, the
organization known
today as the Rome Community Theater was once two separate
performing
bodies; The Rome Theater Guild, and the Rome Civic Theater.
The Rome Theater Guild
had been in existence
for many years and were financially stable, but performed
infrequently (1
or 2 shows each winter) due to a small volunteer
base.
The Rome Civic Theater
was newer, and had a
much larger group of people involved. Because of
their volunteers,
they could produce shows more aggressively (6 shows each
winter, and 10
each summer). The Rome Civic Theater however, was
in trouble
financially.
The two combined in 1953,
to form
the Rome Community Theater, melding the level headedness
and financial
stability of the Theater Guild with the exuberance
and volunteer
base of the Civic Theater to form the organization that
still performs
today.
One
of their first acts, was to fix up their schedule,
finding the right
balance between performance and burden, they decided to
fix the regular
season at 4 shows in the fall/winter/spring months, with
a few variable
events in the summer.
The first show performed
by the Rome
Community Theater was "Light up the Sky" by Moss Hart,
presented by The
Kiwanis Club of Rome NY, at RFA Auditorium on Turin Rd,
October 13 14 and
15 1953. The show was directed by Lt. Eric J.
Kromphold. The Cast included several notable
Romans: Emily
Hayes, George T. Bolton, Ruth Fenster, Make up Theresa
Reed, Stage Setting
Mr. & Mrs. Ted Scott, Lights Murray Warner, Set
construction
Virginia Kirshner the first President, Margaret Nero, and
Dixie
Bolton.
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