The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse to Celebrate 50 years of Bringing “Broadway to the Finger Lakes”

AUBURN— The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse is having a birthday and it’s a big one. The Playhouse is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Indeed there is much to celebrate and in recognition of all that MGR has accomplished and in support of what is still to come, on May 3rd the Playhouse is holding a gala in honor of the theatre’s golden anniversary. All are invited to Merry-Go-Round and You: 50 Years Together. It is a one night only event including a show that highlights the past and previews the future with a creative black tie affair to follow. Festivities begin at 7PM in the Playhouse and continue after the show at the Emerson Park Pavilion

Born in 1958 as the Auburn Children’s Theatre, the brainchild of the late Mrs. Susan Riford and a group of dedicated volunteers, the MGR has grown from humble beginnings to become the third largest theatre in Upstate New York. Currently it reaches over 175,000 adults and young people each year.

The Auburn Children’s Theatre (ACT) began as a volunteer program to educate children in theatrical arts. As community interest grew so did the program. Professors from Ithaca and Wells Colleges were brought in to create curriculum and teach area children. By 1961 ACT had outgrown its original purpose and became the Auburn Civic Theatre. The organization began a summer touring program known as the ACT Wagon which is still fondly remembered by many as their first contact with live theatre. The summer playground tour, under the banner of Merry-Go-Round Youth theatre, is still bringing theatre to playgrounds, parks, and libraries throughout the state.

In 1971 ACT was given permission by the County Legislature to turn the recently closed Merry-Go-Round at Emerson Park into what is now the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. In four weeks, students from what was then known as Auburn Community College, a dedicated group of High School students and a large contingent of adult volunteers completed the first round of renovations. The stage was set for development of what is now known as “Broadway in the Finger Lakes.”

It wasn’t easy. The company’s premier performance was cancelled due to Owasco Lake overflowing its banks and flooding the Playhouse. The rescheduled performance had only 5 patrons in attendance. But over the next ten years staff, the Board of Directors and volunteers built the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse into a highly respected summer theatre. Following the 1975 summer season ACT decided that the Playhouse should specialize exclusively in Musical Theatre. This was almost unheard of at the time but proved to be the making of the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse as we now know it.

At the same time there was a parallel growth in the ACT Youth Theatre program. The organization brought together a committee of educators and parents to develop an educational theatre program which would change children’s theatre from simply entertainment to an enriching educational experience. The result was the development of a sequential theatre program staffed by professionals which linked the theatre arts with the curriculum. It was a revolutionary concept and was the seed which has now grown into the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre which is the largest youth theatre in Upstate New York and one of the largest in the USA. It now serves 125,000 students and teachers in 65 school districts.

For tickets and information on the upcoming season or gala, contact the Merry-Go-Round Box Office at 315-255-1785 / toll free at 1-800-457-8897 or visit the Playhouse online at www.merry-go-round.com.