Circle Players began in 1949, when an ambitious group of volunteer actors, directors, producers, designers, and stage hands founded the company on a stock-ownership basis.  The first few years of production were spent in various locations in Nashville, among them the Hermitage Hotel, the downtown YMCA, and perhaps most interestingly, in an old gambling den at Second and Broadway. 

The leadership decided Circle Players would best operate as a state-charted 501-c-3, non-profit arts organization in the mid-1950’s.  This completely volunteer-staffed organization, which includes Artist Members and the Board of Directors, operated for 26 years in the basement of what is now the Blue Bird Café on Hillsboro Road.  In 1980, Circle Players became the first resident company in the brand new Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and presented productions in TPAC’s Johnson Theatre through 2004.

From 2004, Circle Players has continued to provide quality productions in a variety of theatre locations.  This upcoming 2010-2011 season includes The Grapes of Wrath, Jekyll and Hyde, the Musical, Raisin in the Sun, The Wedding Singer, and 13, a new Musical.  This season all our productions will take place at The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37214. 

Circle Players is proud of its distinction as not only one of the Tennessee’s oldest community theatre companies, but Nashville’s oldest non-profit volunteer arts organization.  For over 60 years, the company has produced more than 370 musicals, comedies, mysteries, historical dramas and classics, as well as cutting edge social dramas and recent Broadway hits.