History of Theatre at the Mount


On January 16, 1976, the 3 million dollar, 41,000 square foot Fine Arts Center at Mount Wachusett Community College was officially opened, housing a 554-seat auditorium, hydraulic thrust stage, scene shop, costume and green rooms. In the fall of 1976, Professor Thomas Graves was hired as the first director of theatre. Under the name Theatre North Central, Graves planned an inaugural season of 2 shows, The Odd Couple and A Streetcar Named Desire. Mayor Stephen J. Erickson signed a proclamation designating the week of November 4 as Theatre Week in conjunction with the raising of the curtain on the Mount's very first production, The Odd Couple. The decision to encourage participation by interested residents, not only students, defined the organization as a true community theatre and shaped its future direction. In early '77 Mount audiences were treated to the first musical production to ever be presented on the Mount stage; Godspell directed by Joan Webber and produced under the auspices of the college's Newman Association. The theatre staff was expanded in the fall with the addition of Professor Gail Steele as instructor of speech and theatre. One of her earliest and most significant contributions to the program came with her introduction of Children's Theatre. In the same year, a grant under the CETA program provided funds to train and employ a full theatre staff and to supply the scene shop with necessary equipment and tools. A Theatre Manager, Master Carpenter, Master Electrician, Costumer, Marketing/House Manager and Facility Maintainer were hired. Unfortunately the grant lasted for only one year, and the college was unable to retain the staff, leaving a big hole in the fledgling theatre. As luck would have it though, the state Board of Higher Education soon approved a fully accredited, comprehensive transfer program leading to an Associate of Arts degree in theatre. The program offered such courses as Acting, History of Theatre and Technical Production and began accepting students that semester.
Dr. Robert Nordvold replaced Graves as director of theatre in the fall of 1978, changing the name of the group from Theatre North Central to "The Mount Players." While his ambitious goal of having a production every month was never attained, Nordvold increased enrollment in the academic program and expanded the number and quality of productions. In the summer of 1979 Professor Steele joined forces with adjunct staffers Jeff Williams and Eric Hafen to offer the theatre's first summer season featuring productions of The Odd Couple, I Do! I Do!, Ten Little Indians and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The following year, Williams, Hafen and Nordvold continued the summer theatre tradition, distinguishing it from The Mount Players with the title "Theatre at the Mount." This period saw continued interest, bigger production budgets and ticket sales continually topping previous records.
In 1983, three key decisions changed the theatre's shape and direction. First, Gail Steele replaced Nordvold as director of theatre, merging both the academic program and the summer theatre under the "Theatre at the Mount" title. Second, the college established a trust fund streamlining the budget process and improving long range planning. Third, the need for full-time professional technical expertise was recognized in the hiring of Patrick Mahoney as resident Set Designer and Tanya Barnett as Head Costume Designer.
Summer Drama Camp programs for children started in 1985 under the direction of Steele, Mary Durling, Joan Webber and Carol Couture. 27 students in grades 3 - 8 enrolled in the course that offered instruction in drama, music and dance. Sky rocketing enrollment later resulted in the addition of camp sessions for students in grades 1-12. Having learned the basics needed to perform in real stage productions, these campers provided a pool of emerging young talent for TAM.


In the early 1990's, John Konopka replaced Mahoney as Technical Director bringing new ideas and energy to TAM productions. By popular demand, TAM produced its first children's touring show, America Before Columbus. Bringing live theatre to more than 40 different schools, the Fall Touring Show has since developed into a major educational outreach program. Ever-increasing ticket sales ushered in the construction of a permanent box office in the upper lobby and season tickets were first offered to patrons. Shortly after Deb Anderson took over the box office in the summer of 1994, the position was upgraded to full time and subscription sales increased from around 300 to an incredible 1500 annually.
Theatre at the Mount received national acclaim in 1995 when Really Rosie received an Honorable Mention Award in the prestigious Moss Hart Competition sponsored by the New England Theatre Conference. In later years, The Dancing Spider and Children of Eden would receive the same recognition. In the summer of 2000, Jeff Williams, who had directed more than 65 TAM productions, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT).
At the start of the millenium, TAM's newly created website offered patrons the opportunity to purchase tickets online. Jeff Boisseau was brought on board as Technical Director and backstage operations continued to run like clockwork under Gail Allen. Lighting design remained in the very capable hands of Cindy Baer and Bob Allen. Veteran staffers (and actors) like Sandie Couture, Peter Landry and Rob Houle continue to maintain the highest standards of excellence and professionalism, while newer directors and choreographers like Dave Twiss, Tara McRae and Chris Casello bring fresh, creative ideas to our stage, making TAM more popular than ever.

In more than 30 years, TAM has presented over 250 plays and had more than 2000 different people involved in productions either onstage or backstage. An estimated 15,000 costumes have been designed and 800 different sets constructed with more than a half million people enjoying community theatre at its best.

”Kiss today goodbye, and point us toward tomorrow. Won't forget, can't regret, what we did for love.”