About
The Playhouse
First Act
(1927–1930s)
Performance Theater in Dorset was born on the first weekend in April 1927 when a 3-act play titled 39 East by Rachel Crothers was presented on the second floor stage in the Dorset Town Hall and Village School building to benefit the PTA. Dr. Edward and Mrs. May Goodman were theater lovers with enough means to produce this inaugural event where the post office building now sits. The Goodmans, along with the other theater enthusiasts who participated, soon called themselves The Dorset Players, with Goodman as President and often a performance director. Interest grew quickly, and because of the limitations of the Town Hall building, a larger space was needed.
May Goodman purchased 3 acres in the Cheney Woods area of Dorset Village using $2000 amassed from ticket proceeds and donations over the first two years, carrying a $9000 mortgage from Factory Point National Bank to cover the construction. The new Playhouse utilized three barns, two of which were donated by fellow Player Ernie West, and officially opened on July 2, 1929. The Players and the Playhouse flourished throughout the 1930s with the Goodmans as leading stewards, but they decided to seek out more plays and support that was needed for growing summer tourism.
Late 1930’s - 1970’s
Led by Paul Stephenson, The Brattleboro Theater staged Sweeney Todd in Dorset during the summer of 1937. Paul was invited back in 1939 to lead summer programming as the Players mourned the unexpected death of Dr. Goodman and the loss of their leadership. World War II caused the Playhouse to go dark from 1942 until the summer of 1946, Stephenson would direct his final shows in 1947, and John Herrick would be elected to lead the Players.
In the summer of 1949, Herrick conducted a search and proposed that The Caravan Players from Westchester, New York bring their company to lead summer theater in Dorset. The Caravan’s Fred Carmichael was writing original plays and Pat Wynn Rose was a natural to the stage, both building Dorset’s reputation in community theater that would continue for the next 26 summers.
In June 1976, Caravan performers John Nassivera and Jill Charles carried the torch, rented the Playhouse for the summer and presented the first season of performances by The Dorset Theatre Festival.
Visit our friends at the Dorset Theatre Festival!
1980’s - 2001
Re-Opening
Throughout the 1980s, 90s and beyond, The Dorset Players continued to develop an active and successful slate of stage productions and other events from the fall through spring seasons, with the Dorset Theatre Festival renting the Playhouse for the summer months, producing their own brand of professional Equity theatre.
In 1999, The Dorset Theatre Festival partnered with us to undertake a 3 million dollar restoration and expansion of our historic Playhouse.
We proudly re-opened in June 2001 with improved sightlines, more comfortable seating, additional restroom facilities, and a new rehearsal studio. The three barns that were the cornerstones of the original building were incorporated into the new design which retains the original charm and spirit.
The Present
Staffed with only a Business Manager and guided by an elected Board of Trustees, the Players continue to operate as a volunteer not-for-profit organization with full ownership of the Playhouse.
From the folks on stage to those working with lighting, ticket sales or ushering, you’ll see your friends and neighbors who all donate their time and skills to produce high quality shows, just as the Goodmans did almost a hundred years earlier.
Dorset Playhouse was and always will be Your Community Theater, and we look forward to serving and entertaining you long into the future.
Looking for a deeper dive into the history of Dorset Theater and past performances?
The Dorset Historical Society has created the Dorset Playhouse Database, a powerful tool that allows us to search their comprehensive database by year, talent, title, and more!
Learn More About The Players
For nearly a century, Dorset Players has been a home for creativity, connection, and live performance in the heart of Vermont. We bring neighbors together to laugh, imagine, and experience the magic of theatre — onstage, backstage, and in the audience.
