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With a burst of pride and a burst of gratitude, Circuit Playhouse Inc., which includes Playhouse on the Square and The Circuit Playhouse, observed the 40th anniversary of its founding in 2009. More than 6,000 people have acted, staffed, ushered, handled tech jobs, and struggled to bring forth the 744 shows produced at our theatres since 1969. The celebration of this occasion was in their honor, for without their talent and dedication, Memphis’ professional theatre company could not have reached this landmark event.
The history of Circuit Playhouse, Inc. actually began more than six years before its official 1969 incorporation. In the summer of 1963, Jackie Nichols, going into his senior year at Overton High School, teamed up with fellow student Walter Slaughter to form a troupe of student actors to perform shows in churches and civic centers. Their initial production was A Life in New York by Anna Cora Mowatt and was directed by Ray Hill. For the next few summers, the Circuit Players, as the nomadic group dubbed themselves, produced such shows as Babes in Arms; How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; and The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd. Early on, Jackie found himself at the helm of this enterprise, developing management skills on the job while drawing from his onstage experience at Front Street Theatre where he was a promising tap dancer and occasional actor.
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