Cumberland County Playhouse

The Cumberland County Playhouse, located in Crossville, Tennessee, stands as a significant cultural and educational institution in rural America. Its origins trace back to 1963, a time when Crossville was a small town largely passed through by travelers, situated within an economically challenged Appalachian region. The town, with high rates of unemployment and poverty, was in dire need of revitalization. The Playhouse's history is closely tied to the lives of Paul and Mary Crabtree. Paul Crabtree, an accomplished actor, director, producer, and composer, had a distinguished career that included a Broadway debut in the original production of "Oklahoma" and subsequent work with the Theatre Guild, where he collaborated with renowned artists like Helen Hayes, Charlton Heston, and José Ferrer. Mary Crabtree, who had spent her early years in Pittsburgh and Crossville before relocating to New York, met Paul while performing in George Abbott's "Kiss & Tell" in 1941. Their marriage saw Mary balancing an acting and modeling career with motherhood, while Paul continued his directorial work with The Theater Guild and writing for television shows. The couple's connection to Crossville deepened when they took a sabbatical in the town, allowing Paul time to pen "Stories from Doby Creek" and contemplate the family's next career steps. It was during this period that local community leaders approached Paul with the idea of staging a theatrical show for school-aged children. The resulting production, "The Perils of Pinocchio," performed by a large cast of local youth, galvanized the community and sparked a conversation about the potential for theater to enrich the educational landscape of the area. Encouraged by civic and cultural leaders, the Crabtrees were instrumental in the establishment of a local theater. Despite the small size of the town and county, the community rallied behind the idea, recognizing the potential for the Playhouse to contribute to education, the local economy, and job creation. The result was the construction of the Cumberland County Playhouse, which has since grown to become the only major non-profit professional performing arts resource in rural Tennessee and one of the largest professional theaters in rural America. The Playhouse serves over 145,000 visitors annually and features two indoor stages, an outdoor venue, and a variety of programming including Theater for Young Audiences productions, a comprehensive education program, and a concert series. It attracts a mix of resident professionals, visiting artists, and volunteers from across the country and numerous Tennessee counties. For many years, the Playhouse was managed and directed by two generations of the Crabtree family, including long-time Producing Director Jim Crabtree. Following Jim Crabtree's retirement in 2016, Bryce McDonald assumed the role of Producing Director/CEO, with Britt Hancock as Artistic Director and Weslie Webster as Education Director. The Cumberland County Playhouse continues to be a beacon of the performing arts in rural Tennessee, offering a diverse array of theatrical and musical experiences to its community and visitors alike.