The oldest community theatre in continuous use in the United States, located in the Midlands, has reopened after a renovation project.

The Columbia Town Theatre celebrated its reopening as it just wrapped up the final phase of a renovation campaign that began in 2018 but was halted by COVID until this previous fall, according to a news release.

Still standing tall on Sumter Street, the Town Theatre is a Columbia local treasure as it’s served as a hub for all live theatrical performances for the community for many years, the release stated.

Founded in 1919, the theatre remains true to its significant attribute as the oldest community theatre in continuous use in the United States and is in the middle of its 105th season, according to the release. The current building, built in 1924 on the 1012 Sumter St. property, recently celebrated its 100th birthday which also was the “kick-off” for the most recent round of renovations.

Over the past four weeks, project partners, Lambert Architects, Town Theatre, and Hood Construction have conducted renovations to the theatre to finish up the third and final phase of their Centennial Campaign, according ot the release. The renovations included replacing seating, aisle lighting, flooring, repairing paint, wallpaper, and adding several finish upgrades. As part of the campaign, all modifications to the historic building were intended to preserve the theatre’s charming features and to improve the overall experience for its spectators.

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Hood Construction’s Senior Project Manager, Thomas Scruggs, worked alongside his wife, Town Theatre’s Executive Director Shannon Willis Scruggs, on this project.

“It’s not often you have the opportunity to work alongside your husband with this amount of support and resources. I think we made a great team, and I can’t wait for the community to see our upgrades,” said Shannon Willis Scruggs.

Town Theatre celebrated its reopening on Feb. 7 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. At the ceremony, members from the Columbia community joined together to celebrate the theatre, followed by the opening night performance of “Steel Magnolias.”

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