Brevard has had a thriving arts scene for many decades, which included a community theater. Although a small community, the idea of having amateurs participate in dramatic performances was part of a larger, national movement.

The Little Theatre Movement started in the United States around 1912. One could compare the movement to a laboratory—where amateur playwrights could find a space to stage “experimental” plays. Little Theater was the opposite of the big budget formulas that popularized the Broadway productions during this time. The proponents of the movement sought to use little theaters to level the playing field in American theater by allowing them to reach audiences across the country who didn’t have access to live theater.

The Little Theatre Movement believed that theater should be used for the betterment of American society and for self-expression. The movement advanced artistic exploration by showcasing new plays by talented young American playwrights such as Eugene O’Neill, George S. Kaufman, and many others.  The Little Theatre Movement of the 1910s and 1920s transformed theater. This resulted in the development of plays that touched on issues such as racism, women’s role in society, and class inequality, for example. The movement gained popularity, especially through the South.

The Little Theatre movement in Brevard began 89 years ago on October 14, 1935 when Beulah May Zachary, a young Brevard schoolteacher, started the first community theater in Brevard. She organized an all-female executive committee whose goal was to find and bring together locals who were interested in dramatic arts and willing to perform in plays.

They began with six members. The members set a goal of having at least three performances a year. The first play was “The Trysting Place” performed in the Brevard College auditorium on December 13, 1935. The first public performance of the Little Theatre organization was “The Red Lamp” on March 19, 1936, also in the Brevard College auditorium. Looking for a more permanent home, the organization joined with the Women’s Civic Club of Brevard to lease the room that adjoined the Western Union Building on Jordan Street to be used by both organizations once the room was refurbished.

Membership quickly grew from six in 1935 to 37 by the 1935-36 season. There were two types of members-those who participated in the productions, such as actors, playwrights, directors, set designers, etc., and members who were spectators. Dues and fines were listed in the constitution and by-laws of the group. Annual dues were set at $1.50, which guaranteed members choice tickets to all the plays. Players were fined 15 cents if they were late to rehearsal and 50 cents if they missed a rehearsal. When a player withdrew from a production, they were fined $5.00. 

Miss Zachary’s skills for organizing and directing theatrical productions in those early years began with the theatre performing several one-act plays wherever members could find a place to perform. Beulah Zachary left in 1939 to work in early television and later became the first executive director of the children’s TV show, “Kukla, Fran and Ollie” on the Chicago-based station WKBK. Tragically, Miss Zachary died on February 3, 1959 when American Airlines Flight 320 crashed in the East River in New York City.  Part two of this story will continue next week. Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Assistant Helaine Kranz. Sources available upon request. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.