Transformational...

"'What we do on stage far exceeds the facility we do it in.' We hear that from many of you who come to our plays. The time for a new theatre for Memphis is now, and we have embarked on a major capital campaign to build a first-class, state-of-the-art facility for our community.

Please help us 'Break New Ground' not only for a new facility, but for the development of the entire Midtown area, and for the thousands of children who will benefit from first-class theatre."

Vibrant Theatre District

The current Playhouse on the Square facility will be renovated following the opening of the new facility. The Circuit Playhouse, presently located on the corner of Poplar and Belvedere, will then relocate to that space, directly across the street from the new facility. Along with TheatreWorks nearby on Monroe, this will create a vibrant new “theatre district” for Overton Square and Midtown. With three theatres within walking distance from each other, combined with numerous local restaurants and ample free parking, this new theatre district will be an entertainment destination for the entire MidSouth.

The current home of The Circuit Playhouse on Poplar Avenue will then be renovated to house expanded programming for Playhouse on the Square’s Theatre for Youth, including theatre for children, by children. Playhouse on the Square’s Theatre for Youth offices are currently located in the Jeanne and Henry Varnell Educational Building, directly adjacent to The Circuit Playhouse. The combination of their current space, with the addition of The Circuit Playhouse space, will allow for a forty percent increase in the number of children to almost 45,000 Circuit Playhouse, Inc. serves each year through its thirteen educational and outreach programs.

Capital Campaign

To date, we have raised $12.5 million in Phase 1 of our Capital Campaign. Our current goal is $15 million.

How you can help

Please make a donation! Big or small, every little bit helps.

Online donations are processed through PayPal.

For more information on donating to the Capital Campaign contact Donna Sue Shannon at (901) 725-0776.

Reserve Your Seat

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to name a seat in the new theatre! A plaque will be placed prominently on the seat commemorating your love of theatre or honoring/memorializing a loved one. It is also an excellent way to promote your business, and makes for the perfect gift!

Click here for more info

Stars of Tomorrow

Your name or the name of a "light in your life" will be prominently displayed on a star in the main rehearsal hall of the new facility. Fantastic gift opportunity!

Click here for more info

What's Inside?

• The theatre will have 350 seats on two levels: an orchestra and balcony with boxes.
• It is designed for maximum audience engagement with no seat further than 10 rows from the stage.
• The stage and its housing will include a complete “fly gallery” for sets, wing space for stage wagons, elevators and traps in the floor, and space for an orchestra.

• The stage machinery will include a professional system for flying actors for such shows as Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, and others.
• Audience amenities will include a Theatre Café for light meals and a roof garden for receptions, parties, and weddings.
• The theatre will be available to arts groups such as Ballet Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Memphis, and Concerts International to use for their more intimate chamber performances.
• Adjacent to and incorporated into the new theatre, is the five-story office building presently on the site. The bottom three floors will house administrative offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal space, and a costume shop. The top two floors will provide low-cost office space to other nonprofit arts groups creating a “Center for the Arts” in the “Heart of the Arts” district at Union and Cooper in Midtown.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman, one of America's leading actors, is Honorary Chairman of our 2 phase $15 million "Breaking New Ground" Capital Campaign.

"I believe that Playhouse on the Square is a vital part of our Memphis community. Memphis has an exceptional opportunity now to raise Playhouse to a national level by helping them build a state of the art facility. I encourage the entire Mid-South community to support Playhouse on the Square's drive..." See and here Mr Freeman's full endorsement of Playhouse's campaign in the video below.

Gary Sinise

Founding member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Gary Sinise comments on how Playhouse on the Square’s new theatre can transform its neighborhood as Steppenwolf did in Chicago.