Cloverdale Playhouse’s production of “And Then There Were None,” a play by the late Agatha Christie, was directed by Mike Winkelman.
A nonprofit, six-year-old community theater in Montgomery
The Cloverdale Playhouse is a community theater. Many volunteers from the community give their time and talent to make the dramatic arts come to life at the Playhouse.
The Playhouse produces five main stage productions each season, and is now halfway through its seventh season. The building housing the theater was originally the Cloverdale Christian Church for three decades. Transforming the church into a theater took over a year complete, and it officially opened in February 2012.
Mike Winkelman, a member of the Board of Directors, was on the Advisory Board when the Playhouse was first organized, and believes the building is like no other.
“The biggest difference between The Cloverdale Playhouse and most theaters its size is the strength of their financial security. Morris Dees, the founder of the building, has always insisted the theatre have strong financial backing from the community and the citizens have responded. Not only is the land/building debt free, but the Board is working towards a million dollar endowment to insure the theatre’s continued growth and development,” said Winkelman
Sarah Walker Thornton, the artistic director, says that the number of visits has grown a lot in the past two years. She estimates that they probably see somewhere around 5,000–6,000 people throughout the season, whether they are volunteering, acting, studying or sitting in the audience.
The Journey of the Playhouse
All of the construction was done by Foshee Design and Construction. The architects were Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. Renovations began in June 2011, and a stage, raised seating, and a tech booth were built. The building also had to upgrade the electrical system to install the stage lighting system. The churche’s original pews were cut in half to create more seating, but they are still there as the theater seats.
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-Brittany Vallely
More About This Article
This article was written as a creative project assignment for a journalism course, Media Writing II, at Auburn University at Montgomery in Spring 2018. More information and amazing articles can be found here!