The Role of a Regional Theater

Theater of the Stars is a regional theater company. Over the past fifty years, the role of the regional theater has changed. In the Fifties and Sixties, regional theaters were the producers of all shows that were not then appearing on Broadway.

During that era, it was not unusual for Theater of the Stars to produce a show almost immediately after it closed on Broadway - often with the Broadway stars. During the Seventies and Eighties, Broadway producers took notice and began producing tours of their Broadway shows and sending them out across the country. Regional theaters became local promoters for these productions.

Regional theaters shifted their focus to producing shows that were not slated for Broadway and thus would not tour. Over the past fifteen years, regional theaters have become active in developing new work and producing shows to present as co-productions at other regional theaters.

Local Roots

Theater of the Stars is a local theater company. We are the resident theater company at the Fox Theatre. We have also played a leading role in the birth or development of several artistic institutions in Atlanta including the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Ballet, and the Atlanta Children's Theatre.

We also founded the Grand Opera in the Park, the Winter Play Series, and the Just Us Theatre Company. We annually employ hundreds of Atlanta artists and other professionals for our productions.


The Importance of Not-For Profit Theater

Theater of the Stars is a not-for-profit cultural organization. In simplest
terms, this means that we are owned by you the public and not by stockholders.

This designation allows us to select programming based on a more varied
criteria than simply making a profit. As a result, we construct our season
with the intention of exposing our audiences to an entertaining mixture of
the light hearted with the serious, the familiar with the new, and the
lavish with the simple. Tax-deductible contributions from our patrons,
donors and sponsors provide financial support for our organization.


Our Commitment to a Balanced Season

We strive each year to offer our subscribers a season with shows that
appeal to a variety of tastes. As a result, we will offer three types of shows

• Full traditional productions of Classic American Musicals
• Important New Productions from Broadway producers
• Innovative Revivals of lesser performed works

The mix of shows chosen depends on the choices of our subscribers
(in the surveys), the availability of the titles, and the number of new
shows on Broadway. The past few years have been relatively sparse in
terms of new shows on Broadway so our seasons have leaned more
heavily on revivals. We are looking forward to adding more new shows
to our seasons in the future.

Sponsors Matter

Theater of the Stars is grateful to its sponsors for their loyal support of the
organization for many years. We could not hope to offer the high quality
of programming that our audiences expect were it not for the generous
financial and organizational support of our sponsors.

Many of our sponsors have been with us for twenty years or longer.
They deserve a standing ovation.

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Our History

Theater Under the Stars was founded in 1953 with Maurice B. Seltzer as head of Operations and enthusiastic support of then Mayor Wm. B. Hartsfield and the Fulton County Commissioners. Their aim was to present the finest entertainment at the lowest possible prices. Their first home was Chastain Amphitheatre, an outdoor theater with seating capacity of 6200.

Ticket prices started at $1.00 thereby allowing access to the arts for many.

In 1960 Chris Manos joined Theater Under the Stars and began moving things in a new direction. With aid from a generous grant he brought Opera Diva Blanche Thebom to Chastain Amphitheatre in the 'King and I'. 40,000 people filled the audience over the week, firmly establishing the star system for the organization.

Leonard Nimoy in "Fiddler on the Roof"

1964 brought further growth with the formation of the Winter Play Season presented at the intimate Peachtree Playhouse. The Winter Play Season was developed with the intention of producing popular plays with stars, using the latest offerings from Broadway.

The same year Grand Opera in the Park was formed to present both full length ballets and well known operas. Many people who would otherwise have never seen an opera, got a chance to see some of the finest performers in classic operas. One performance of 'La Traviata' brought Dorothy Kirsten, Richard Tucker and Robers Merrill to an audience of 11,000.

During this time Theater of the Stars continued to offer their full Summer season, amounting to a well-rounded season, and many new experiences for Atlanta theatre-goers.

Angela Lansbury in "Mame"

In 1965, with their full season firmly established they presented an additional offering of the Fine Play Season, adding yet another dimension to their growth. The Fine Play Season brought the best of classical theater to its audiences using the best of local talent in a resident company.

In 1968 the theater officially became THEATER OF THE STARS, moving their residence to the new Atlanta Civic Center.

In the same year, an offshoot of the managerial arm of Theater of the Stars under the heading of Municipal Theater created the Atlanta Repertory Theater Company, The Atlanta Opera Company, and the Atlanta Children's Theater.

In the '70's, Theater of the Stars continued to bring the finest in theatre entertainment to its audiences at the Atlanta Civic Center and the Peachtree Playhouse.

Jean Stapleton in "Drood"

In 1976 Theater of the Stars founded the Just Us Theater Co., an African-American theatre company whose goal it was to bring major African-American stars and authors to Atlanta while also using and developing the best local talent. It was Chris Manos' wish to support the development of such a group in hopes that it would someday become an independent theatre company of its own.

In 1979 Theater of the Stars expanded further by beginning to bring national touring companies to Atlanta on a regular basis. Theater Of The Stars has been host to these visiting companies as well as combining the talents of major stars with local performers to produce its own shows. In the past few years these shows have included the Broadway hits "Cats" and "42nd Street" to record breaking audience capacity.

Joel Grey in "Cabaret"

In 1981 the Peachtree Playhouse was set up as a separate entity of Theater of the Stars. While leasing out the theater to various arts organizations, some resident and some visiting, Theater of the Stars was responsible for the annual lease and expenses.

In 1988, Theater of the Stars moved their performances to the Fox Theatre, a world renowned facility. A winter of new musicals direct from Broadway was added to compliment the five decade old summer season. Plans for the future are currently being formulated to carry Theater of the Stars through the Millennium.

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Theater of the Stars Board of Trustees

• James C. Howard, Chairman
• John C. Breckenridge
• Joe Hall
• Virginia Hepner
• Ingrid Saunders Jones
• Henri Jova
• John G. McColskey
• Adam Orkin
• Dennis Reagan
• Dr. John E. Skandalakis
• Dom H. Wyant
• David Yu
• Dr. Robert Bunnen, Emeritus
• Aaron J. Johnson, Emeritus
• Glen P. Robinson, Emeritus

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Theater of the Stars Staff

• Christopher B. Manos, Producer
• Nicholas F. Manos, Managing Director
• Scott Bowker, Administrative Director
• Mary O'Hara, Accountant
• Marguerite Daniel, Office Manager
• Karen Hatchett/The Glenn Agency, Advertising & Public Relations
• Brian D. Frey, General Manager
• Henry Rowe, Box Office Coordinator
• Glenn Gray, Assistant to the Administrative Director
• Thomas Pinckney, Special Projects
• Linnette Johnson, Administrative Assistant
• Sam Patton, Administrative Assistant
  
  

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Links

League of American Theatres & Producers

Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts

National Alliance for Musical Theatre

The Fabulous Fox Theatre

Ticketmaster