Mill Mountain Theatre
Mill Mountain Theatre (MMT) is the only regional professional theatre in Roanoke, offering year-round Equity plays and musicals on the Trinkle Main Stage and the smaller Waldron Stage. Located at Center in the Square in Downtown Roanoke, MMT has proudly served the region and industry for 50 years. Recent shows included Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" and "The Sound of Music" in 2013, and "Swing!", "The Wizard of OZ Young Performers' Edition", "To Kill a Mockingbird", and "Children of Eden" in 2014. 2015 marks the 50th Season and includes "Hairspray", "Beauty and the Beast Jr", "On Golden Pond", "42nd Street" and a new concert series including "Piano Man" and "Opry Divas".
MMT also offers year-round theatre arts education through the Mill Mountain Theatre Conservatory (MMTC). MMTC provides instruction in Acting, Music Theatre, Dance, & Technical Theatre for emerging artists ages K through Adults. All classes are taught by experienced, working industry professionals, with performance opportunities on MMT's Main Stages.
MMT began in 1964 as a Summer Stock Theatre at Rockledge Inn atop Mill Mountain. When a fire destroyed the inn in 1976, the company, formed from New York actors, performed at the Grandin Theatre, an old neighborhood movie theatre, until 1983. In that Year, MMT moved into Center in the Square (CITS), the multi-organizational cultural and educational complex.
In January 2009, Mill Mountain Theater’s Board of Directors responsibly faced mounted debt by ceasing productions to focus on reorganizing the Theater’s business operations. All staff members, with the exception of the director of education were laid off. At the same time MMT's landord, Center in the Square, undertook a complete reonvation, moving MMT into temporary space.
During the reinvention process, educational classes continued and enrollement doubled becoming one of the theatre's best sources of income during the reinvention process. Mill Mountain Theatre Conservatory (MMTC) produced a holiday show each year during the reorganization; "Annie, Jr." in 2009, Disney's "My Son Pinocchio, Geppetto's Musical Tale" in December 2010, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" in 2011 and 2012. All holiday performances had sold out shows and in 2011 all shows sold out before opening night.
Mill Mountain Theatre is now back in full production. In March 2012, MMT produced "Greater Tuna" on the Waldron Blackbox Stage, its first professional Equity performance since 2009. On April 24, 2013, Mill Mountain Theatre returned to the Trinkle Main Stage in the newly renovated Center in the Square presenting "The Marvelous Wonderettes", marking the beginning of a new era.
Through partnerships with Hollins University and others, MMT is presenting other venues such as “Overnight Sensations” and “Big Lick Conspiracy.” In addition MMT has collaborated with other organizations for such as events as “Radical Reels” film series, “Race Across the Sky” film, corporate meetings, “Miss Roanoke Valley”, “Addy’s”, etc.
Mill Mountain Theatre has developed a financially sustainable business model that is innovative, pragmatic, and emphasizes regional and organizational collaboration. The new model acknowledges the organization’s historical importance to the region’s identity and tourism initiatives, while being sensitive to today’s economic realities. The reemerging MMT will be a key cultrual asset for the Roanoke Valley continuing with its history of providing professional theatre and conservatory education to the Roanoke Region.
Mill Mountain Theatre is located at the Center in the Square[1] facility on the Market Square in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, in the United States of America. The theater is named after the nearby Mill Mountain, which is a popular theme for the naming of Roanoke landmarks and organizations, including the Mill Mountain Star, Mill Mountain Zoo, and Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea.[2]