Erwin\u27s Second Story: Founding a Community Theatre

Erwin, Tennessee is a small town located just outside of Johnson City. The town is beautiful and the people are kind, but it lacks one thing - a community theatre. In an effort to increase student interest in the local high school drama department, allow community members of all ages a chance to perform, and to provide entertainment to the small town, I have worked to form a community theatre named Second Story. Founding a nonprofit community theatre comes with many challenges. In this presentation I will walk through my efforts and what all went into this labor of love. I will speak on how I have worked alongside a few other community members to found this community theatre. To found a community theatre one must learn about nonprofit organizations and how to achieve that status, legality that goes along with hosting an event, financial responsibilities, and gauging and intriguing community interest. The work to found Second Story began in 2018 and in August of 2021 the community theatre produced its first production