Seeing Double

Last year, Flat Rock Playhouse took the show to Hendersonville’s historic courthouse and sold out every performance of 12 Angry Jurors, even after extending the show’s run by a week. The success confirmed what the playhouse’s leaders already knew: downtown was ripe for an arts venue.

Enter playhouse supporter Tom Fazio, who invited Producing Artistic Director Vincent Marini to check out a building on South Main Street that he thought might fit the bill. “We realized immediately it had the bones of a great theater space—20-foot-high ceilings, 10,000 square feet, and early 20th-century architecture hiding underneath the drop ceiling and drywall,” says Marini.

With support from the city, the project took shape quickly. “In a seven-week period, we turned an old office building into what I think is the most unique theatrical environment in WNC,” says Marini. And its proximity to the visitors center and restaurants makes dinner and a show easily accessible to audiences.

The Playhouse Downtown features stadium seating for 250 and a thrust stage that can transform into a theater-in-the-round. And don’t worry, the main stage in Flat  Rock isn’t going anywhere—which means you can take in twice as many great shows.    

IT'S SHOWTIME:

The Playhouse Downtown
125 Main St., Hendersonville

Sheer Madness
August 3-September 4
This murder-mystery comedy set in a salon changes every night based on audience interaction. Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Thursday & Saturday, 2 p.m.; $34, $32 seniors, $24 students

Flat Rock Playhouse, Main Stage
2661 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock

Hairspray
Through August 14; Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m.; $40, $38 seniors, $30 students

The Mousetrap
August 18-September 11; Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m.; $34, $32 seniors, $30 students
(828) 693-0731; www.flatrockplayhouse.com