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Merry-Go-Round Playhouse is a regional theatre located in Auburn, New York[1]
History[edit]
The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse was originally the Auburn Children's Theatre founded in September of 1958 by Susan Riford and members of the Auburn Service League. Incorporated as a not-for-profit organization under the name Auburn Civic Theatre in 1972, the children's theatre initially provided weekend drama classes for local youth. In 1961, an in-school program was added which by 1965, grew into a state-wide touring children's theatre. Nine years later, in 1974, the Youth Theatre Program was fully professionalized.
In 1971, Mrs. Riford obtained permission from the Cayuga County Legislature to convert the then empty Carousel Building at Emerson Park into a theatre. Dozens of eager volunteers worked tirelessly to clean up and paint the building and in the summer of 1972, the first Merry-Go-Round Playhouse season came to pass. By 1975, the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse became a professional summer stock theatre.
In the fall of 1981, the present Producing Director, Ed Sayles, took over the leadership of the corporation. By this time, the summer season had become the most visible element of the theatre, the Board of Directors voted to officially change the organization's name to The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in March of 1985.
The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse has become nationally recognized for the quality of both its musical and youth theatres. The Youth Theatre now offers 10 different school productions each year in its curriculum based in-school workshop and performance program called The Sequential Dramatics Program. Running year round, this very active branch of the Merry-Go-Round now serves over 125,000 students in 60 school districts across New York State.
In 2004, the Playhouse took another giant leap forward with a $2.5 million renovation[2]. This provided a remarkable transformation of the facility taking the theatre's technical abilities to new heights and providing greater comfort and accessibility for audiences. The theatre now has 501 seats, up from the previous 365, an expanded box office box office, new heating and cooling systems, the addition of a fly gallery, larger wing space, a conventional orchestra pit at the front of the stage, and state of the art lighting and sound systems.
The quality of performances has been and shall remain a priority at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. This consistent investment has resulted in the Playhouse's growing reputation earning Auburn's professional theatre the nickname, "Broadway in the Finger Lakes".