OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Geneva Theatre Guild is to produce high-quality community theatre in the Finger Lakes and to provide opportunities for community members of all ages to participate in all aspects of theatre, whether backstage, on stage, or in the audience. We seek to enhance the cultural vibrancy of the Finger Lakes through the magic of live theatre.

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OUR HISTORY

Live theatre in Geneva dates back to the end of the Nineteenth Century at the Smith Opera House in downtown Geneva. Early records show a production by “Geneva Amateurs” of The Pirates of Penzance on April 4, 1896. The Geneva Players presented productions at various schools and in the barn at Seneca Lake Country Club for a number of years. For seven years, The Geneva Summer Theatre presented plays with a professional company and community actors at the Bartlett Theatre on the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus.

1978, the Geneva Theatre Guild, Inc., was founded to foster interest in the performing arts through participation in community theatre. Since that date, the Guild has presented over 130 plays and musicals in various venues, involving community members of all ages. Each summer, “Geneva’s amateurs” return to the beautifully restored, historic Smith Opera House to present a summer musical production. This magnificent venue allows area actors, singers and dancers the opportunity to perform on the same stage that once was used by noted vaudeville and theatre personalities.

1986, the Geneva Theatre Guild Youth Theatre was founded to provide local youth with an opportunity to be involved in all aspects of a live theatre production. The Youth Theatre also runs “Dramatic Inventions,” a series of informal drama classes for children in the third through fifth grades.

1998, The Nancy Curvin Playground Players were founded to honor the memory of longtime Guild member and past president, Nancy Curvin. This touring program provides a theatrical experience for area children and senior citizens who might not have easy access to a production.

1998, the Guild initiated a program that gives area playwrights the opportunity to have their plays performed in a staged-readers theatre format. Area writers are invited to submit scripts, which are considered by a committee of Guild members. Three or more plays are selected for performance in the Geneva Free Library and other venues around Geneva in April. Discussions with the playwrights, actors and directors follow the performances.

Throughout the years, the Guild has given many talented young people the opportunity to perform for local audiences. David Wood has gone on to appear in the chorus lines of several musicals. Tyrone Henderson is now a professional actor in New York City and appeared with Phylicia Rashad in Boston in Blues for an Alabama Sky. (He recently appeared in Syracuse in the same play.)