our venue
The On Stage Playhouse began its life as the Monroe Primitive Baptist Church. Completed in 1910, the structure was built with donations of land, money, materials and labor.
When the congregation dwindled, the last few members donated the building to the Monroe City Schools to be used for educational purposes. A local teacher, Mrs. Mashburn, turned the building into a studio where she taught etiquette, elocution, history and literature. Her students presented programs and pageants. Later the famous Monroe Girls Corps practiced here. It sat vacant for awhile then briefly became a coffee house where local teens hung out. Eventually, the City of Monroe granted On Stage the use of the facility. As the venue for our Youth Theatre Camp, it’s still used to educate kids. One of the features of the original church was a bell that called people to worship. When the neighbors declared the bell a noisy nuisance, it was removed from the belfry and moved to Gratis, Georgia. Mounted above a well-house, it stayed there until the property was sold. Word got out that the bell had been brought back to Monroe. On Stage found the battered and broken bell, and now it rests in front of the playhouse. Come visit us! |
our story
Our Mission
On Stage seeks to promote community theatre with its honored traditions. Our goal is to introduce, entertain, inspire, and engage audiences with live performances. We strive to educate this and future generations in the arts and crafts of theatre through workshops and performances. On Stage organized in 1971 and incorporated in 1974. Shows were held at First Methodist Church and Monroe Elementary until 1975, when the current Playhouse became On Stage's home. A portion of the proceeds from each regular season goes to a local 501c3 charitable, educational, or cultural/historic preservation organization. |
our board
Executive Committee
President: Daniel Hawkins Vice President: Paula Gerhardt Treasurer: Myra Smith Secretary: Vicki Wrobel Artistic Director Marc Hammes Board Members Jason Baird Casey Bond Daniel Donaldson KJ Gerhardt Laura Griffin Wesley Henson Julian Jackson Jeff Lott Amanda Rempe Staci Scornik |