Cloverdale Playhouse

A nonprofit, six-year-old community theater in Montgomery

The Cloverdale Playhouse is a community theater. Many volunteers from the community give their time and talent to make the dramatic arts come to life at the Playhouse.

The Playhouse produces five main stage productions each season, and is now halfway through its seventh season. The building housing the theater was originally the Cloverdale Christian Church for three decades. Transforming the church into a theater took over a year complete, and it officially opened in February 2012.

Mike Winkelman, a member of the Board of Directors, was on the Advisory Board when the Playhouse was first organized, and believes the building is like no other.

“The biggest difference between The Cloverdale Playhouse and most theaters its size is the strength of their financial security. Morris Dees, the founder of the building, has always insisted the theatre have strong financial backing from the community and the citizens have responded. Not only is the land/building debt free, but the Board is working towards a million dollar endowment to insure the theatre’s continued growth and development,” said Winkelman.

Sarah Walker Thornton, the artistic director, says that the number of visits has grown a lot in the past two years. She estimates that they probably see somewhere around 5,000–6,000 people throughout the season, whether they are volunteering, acting, studying or sitting in the audience.

Cloverdale Playhouse’s production of “And Then There Were None,” a play by the late Agatha Christie, was directed by Mike Winkelman.

The Journey of the Playhouse

All of the construction was done by Foshee Design and Construction. The architects were Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. Renovations began in June 2011, and a stage, raised seating, and a tech booth were built. The building also had to upgrade the electrical system to install the stage lighting system. The churche’s original pews were cut in half to create more seating, but they are still there as the theater seats.

Renovations transformed a church into the Cloverdale Playhouse. [Sarah Thorton/Cloverdale Playhouse]

“Morris Dees lives in the neighborhood, and he saw that the church was for sale. His theatre roots (and Montgomery’s original community theater) was the Montgomery Little Theatre downtown which was housed in an old church as well. [That building has become “The Sanctuary”.] So, when he saw this big beautiful old church for sale, he thought it was the perfect location for a new community theatre,” said Thornton.

Over the years, the Playhouse has made changes by adding theater classes, Joe Thomas, Jr., Guitar Pull, and a quarterly Cabaret Series to raise money for arts education in Alabama. The list could go on forever on many theatre events the Playhouse presents, which can all be found on their website. The most recent addition to the building is a box office counter in the lobby and a outdoor stage in the courtyard that is decorated with outdoor string lighting.

Location

The Cloverdale Playhouse is close to El Rey’s and Tomatinos. People can go eat dinner and walk up the street to the Playhouse to see a show.

The theater is in the Cloverdale area, and near the Capri Theatre.

What Makes it So Special?

“Nothing we do is possible without volunteers from the community giving their time and talent to make our work happen. We engage lots of students, children, and adults and give them a place to experience art and community that they wouldn’t find anywhere else in town,” said Thornton.

The building is important because not only is the location a historic landmark, but the building provides a space to for people to show off their talents. The building allows people to tell amazing stories and a chance for people to truly express their love for the performing arts.

Photo Gallery

The sanctuary of the church.

More construction to create the main stage.

The Courtyard at Night

The Cloverdale Playhouse production of “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller and directed by Sarah Walker Thornton.

More about this article:

This article was written as a creative project assignment for a journalism course, Media Writing II, at Auburn University at Montgomery in Spring 2018. The course was taught by Eman Shurbaji in collaboration with Exploring Montgomery’s founder, Cyle Conoly.

The project’s articles showcase many diverse buildings and their history in Montgomery.

• A bit of worship history at Old Ship African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church by Jayla Coleman
• The State Farmers Market by Cierra Juett explores a popular — and largely healthy — shopping destination
• Community love for the performing arts is seen at Cloverdale Playhouse by Brittany Vallely
• In depth coverage of the beloved Alabama Shakespeare Festival by Kodi Robertson and a short article by Brittany Nobles
• Photos capture great heights at AUM in Ida Belle Young Library Tower by Kaleria Jackson
• More coverage (with Curtiss the Warhawk!) of the Ida Belle Young Library Tower by Selina Johnson
• Tourist attraction F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum is examined in light of the home by Kywanna Johnson and the writing ventures by Mike Breen
• Free and growing Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is covered in light of its official website by Nyla Hooks
• Iconic Civil Rights moments are revisited at the Rosa Parks Museum by Brandon Barker
• A closer look at downtown entertainment landmark Davis Theatre by Alexandrea Moore
• Independent films and a deep roots are explored at Capri Theatre by Destin Davis
• State-of-the-art sports venue Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Stadium is visited by Dana Horton