Demolition begins at the Highlands Playhouse
The Highlands Playhouse, a 1934-built auditorium that hosted plays, films and other performances for over 70 years, underwent demolition starting Thursday, Jan. 29. The venue left a lasting cultural impact on Highlands, serving as a movie house, community theatre and nationally recognized playhouse that helped launch the careers of future stage and film stars.
The Playhouse was originally built as an auditorium for Highlands School, hosting movie showings four to six times a week during summers. In 1938, Jack and Ted Wilcox organized the Highlands Little Theatre, a troupe of actors, which presented its first play, Dulcy, to a sold-out crowd a year later. General admission tickets at the time cost 35 cents.
“Soon the theatre began taking on a few professional actors who shared the stage with summer and winter thespians,” said author and Highlands historian Ran Shaffner. “Old and young alike, practically the whole town grew addicted to the magic of theatre.”
Production ceased during World War II. In 1948, however, the Little Theatre returned with widespread community support as the Highlands Community Theatre, staging four plays, including Emlyn Williams’ Corn is Green, a town favorite. Productions continued in the years that followed, providing opportunities to local actors and actresses to showcase their talent.
In 1952, the town purchased the schoolhouse property, including the Highlands School Theatre, after the school relocated to its current location on Pierson Drive. The venue didn’t return to its former glory until 1957, when the Theatre group acquired it as its permanent location. Fred Allen, a former director with the group, began directing plays again, sparking life back into the building.
“He gave us all the gift of theatre as a resource to enjoy all our lives,” said Anne Sullivan Duggett, regarding Allen in an interview with Shaffner. “He taught us how to enjoy work, and made our summers magical. Added to that, he was brilliant.”
From the 1960s onward, the Theatre began spotlighting national talent from New York and beyond, while also molding amateurs into household names. Collin Wilcox, a Highlands local, gained invaluable experience with the Theatre, preparing her for future roles such as Mayella in To Kill a Mockingbird.
In 1973, the Highlands Community Theatre’s name was changed to The Highlands Playhouse, where it became professional thanks to the influence of new managing director Michael “Mike” Hall.
“All the local talent gave way now to imported actors and directors,” said Shaffner. “With the older standbys gone and the young ones departing for distant colleges and universities, the enthusiastic fun of amateur theatre had reached its end.”
Dr. Gus Staub and the University of Georgia Drama Department entered into an agreement with the Playhouse to sponsor three plays and a musical each season from 1989 until 2000. The partnership helped boost attendance to between nine or ten thousand per season.
During this period, the Playhouse also earned recognition from the New York Times, National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal.
In recent years, the building narrowly escaped a fire in 2019, and in 2022 the Highlands Playhouse community production rebranded to Mountain Theatre Company, now performing at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.
Although the building has sat unused for several years, it will always be remembered for its vibrant plays, memorable actors and long-standing cultural influence on Highlands.
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com