Inception
The Stage Company was born in 1982 when a small but enthusiastic group met to explore the possibility of founding a community theater in Southern Illinois.
The Jackson County Stage Company, Inc., was formed and incorporated in April as a non-profit organization. In June we presented our first production, Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. One performance was held in the Jackson Country Courthouse and two were held in the Newman Center at Southern Illinois University.
The first full season saw The Stage Co. presenting two one-act plays, another full-length play and our first dinner theater play, performing in different places. In June of 1983, The Bank of Carbondale gave the company a rent-free lease in a three-story old opera house on the corner of Washington and Main St. in Carbondale, which was renovated by company members. In October 1983, the theater was opened and The Stage Company produced continuous theatrical seasons at this location until April 2005. We have recently moved into our new home in The Varsity Center and had our first production in this venue in October 2008.