BayStreetPlayers.org
Title
Bay Street Players
Description
The seeds for the Bay Street Players were planted when Dale Carpenter, Deborah Carpenter, Lou Tally, and Charlene Smith left the Ice House Theatre in 1974. Together they decided to start their own theatre. Lou Tally was driving in downtown Eustis and spotted the old State Theatre on Bay Street.
The State Theater originally opened in 1922 as a vaudeville house. The building was also used as a movie theater for many years. By 1975, it had been vacant for many years. Because of its original purpose, the theatre contained a curved balcony-mezzanine, a fly-loft, an orchestra pit, and wonderful visibility and acoustics. The group leased the 50-year old theatre with sweat equity (by renovating, repairing, and renovating the building, and paying only $60 per month in rent).
They planned to open with Hello, Dolly on June 19th, 1975. Though the air conditioning broke down on opening night, HelloDolly opened to success, and over 2,000 people came to see it. The theatre's second show, Any Wednesday, opened on September 4th.
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