From collection Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company Collection
Rehearsal Scene - Surry Playhouse, Surry,Maine B79
Rehearsal Scene - Surry Playhouse, Surry,Maine actors on lawn, umbrellas In the summer of 1929 the Surry Theatre Company, composed of producers and actors from New York, presented their first play in the Surry Playhouse, a barn on Route 172 that had been converted to a theatre. For 16 years the Surry Playhouse held productions every summer, with a different play every week. Shows were often current Broadway hits or revivals of classics. Henry Fonda, Joseph Cotton, and other notable actors starred in the Company's productions early in their careers. The Surry Theatre Company also conducted a summer acting school and apprentice program. The theatre had 300 seats. Many well-to-do summer folk were among the theatregoers, some arriving in chauffeur-driven cars and enjoying sitting around the open fireplace in the lobby or on the lawn before the play. Local people enjoyed the plays, too. A Surry resident remembers playing outside while waiting for the bell to ring, signaling that the unsold seats were available at half price. This photo was taken in 1946, the year the theatre reopened following a hiatus during World War II. It advertised, "Air Cooled" and had a restaurant for a few years. The new company, with Charles O. Carey as producer, featured Broadway actors, including Edward Everett Horton, Barnard Hughes, and Mary Grace Canfield. Local youth sometimes had roles. The Surry Playhouse closed in 1953.
