In the spring of 1957, the Sheridan Junior Women's Club formally
established a theatre group, the Civic Theatre Guild, under the direction of Bill
Thompson. Since that time, thousands of volunteers have contributed to the Guild's
vitality and success.
Our premier season started with The Rainmaker and Ladies in Retirement, and has continued non-stop ever since. Every production - ranging from mysteries, dramas and melodramas to musicals, comedy and Shakespeare - has featured performers and technical support from the Sheridan community.
In its early years, CTG was a traveling troupe, staging plays in such diverse venues as the Tack Room Theatre at Story's Lodore Supper Club, The Buckboard Theatre in the basement of the Sheridan Elks Lodge, the Dining Room of the Historic Sheridan Inn, and in most Sheridan school auditoriums.
In 1979, the Guild was able to acquire a lease on the Carriage House, then owned by the Sheridan County Historical Society. Located on the grounds of the Trail End State Historic Site - locally referred to as the Kendrick Mansion - the Carriage House was basically a garage with large spaces both upstairs and down. After several years of renovation and fund raising, an intimate theatre space was created. Eighty-seven seats fill the former carriage room, with reception areas are in the tack and horse stall areas. Costume and properties storage are located in the former hayloft upstairs, while the former chicken coop serves as a combination office/ticket booth. (click here for more Carriage House history)
In 1985, a fire in the Carriage House's stall and hay loft areas left the Civic Theatre
Guild's future in doubt. The disaster forced the Sheridan community to again face the
necessity of restoring both the structure and the theatre group. After phenomenal efforts,
productions on the Carriage House stage were resumed in time for the 1987 season.
Strong community commitment, support and love of the theatre continue. The Civic Theatre Guild knows how fortunate it is each and every time a curtain call is made and an audience leaves with a pleasurable memory.
