Theatre Guild Valdosta performance of Suite Surrender featured actors, left to right, Dominick DeFrank, Joshua Robertson, and Masin Cribbs. Photo Contributed
Hollywood came to downtown Valdosta in 1941, when the ’Dosta Movie Theater opened. A single screen theater that provided decades of movie enjoyment until it closed in 1966. Through the years, the activity in downtown Valdosta began to decline, as it did in other communities across the country, and what was left was a growing inventory of empty buildings including the ’Dosta Movie Theater.
In 1989, it was through the support of the Lowndes Valdosta Arts Commission (LVAC) that community theater returned to Valdosta.
Though they had no stage, LVAC announced auditions for a production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which would be performed at Valdosta State’s Sawyer Theatre.
For the next three years, the group produced four shows a year and began to grow a dedicated fan base. Profits from the show accumulated, and in 1992 the group purchased the depilated ’Dosta Movie Theater.
With the purchase of the building, the name changed to the ’Dosta Playhouse, and the Theatre Guild Valdosta (TGV) was formed.
“This was a shell of a building,” said Clay Lee, past president of the TGV. “There was no seats and no air conditioning. For a long time, people sat on benches.”
Through the work of volunteers, a stage was constructed, new flooring installed, and the outside received a major overhaul.
“Those early years there weren’t any dressing rooms,” Lee said. “We were changing in the alley out back.”
Bringing community theater to Valdosta was an important part of the TGV mission, but with that also came the desire to help revitalize the downtown area.
“Joanne Griner was the driving force in getting a theater downtown,” said Patti Cook Robertson, president of the TGV. “She was a visionary and wanted to see downtown Valdosta grow.”
Griner, who passed away in September 2016, served as the founding president of the TGV and performed in numerous performances.
“She was the driving force in getting the theater opened,” Robertson said. “Once she got an idea in her mind you just weren’t going to tell her no.”
Lee said that when the ‘Dosta Playhouse first opened there wasn’t a lot of activity in the downtown area and restaurants were not open at night.
Clay Lee, past president of the Theatre Guild Valdosta, and Patti Cook Robertson, the current president, outside the ‘Dosta Theatre in Downtown Valdosta.
“Now we have several restaurants that are open for dinner in downtown,” Lee said. “Several of them provide discounts if you purchased tickets to the play. We want people to come have a nice dinner and then enjoy a show.”
With six shows each season, the audience numbers and community support continues to grow.
In 2007, the ’Dosta Playhouse was updated with new paint, lighting, and carpet, and the upstairs bathrooms were remodeled. Except for electrical work, the renovations were completed by volunteers.
“I want to see us grow and remain fiscally responsible as we continue to make improvements in our facility and provide a more enjoyable theater experience,” Robertson said. “We still need to make improvements in lighting and the sound system. I want it to be a place where people want to come.”
Lee said the TGV is in the middle of a capital campaign to raise $100,000 for improvements to the building.
“The heating and air conditioning need to be updated, and there is work to be done on the outside to maintain the historical integrity of the building,” he said. “The bricks need cleaning, and we still have the original marquee that needs some repairs.”
Robertson said it is the dedication of the volunteers that make the theater successful.
“This is truly a community theater,” she said. “For the people who volunteer, I want them to have pride in ownership of the building. We have put on some great shows, and I don’t remember anything on our stage that I haven’t been proud of.”
Lee agreed that having a successful community theater is an important part of downtown Valdosta’s growth.
“This is a destination landmark,” he said. “People come to have photos taken in front of the marquee, and it speaks to the cultural health of our community.”