Geneva Theatre Guild

About Us:

Live theatre in Geneva dates back to the end of the Nineteenth Century at the Smith Opera House in downtown Geneva. Early records show a production by "Geneva Amateurs" of The Pirates of Penzance on April 4, 1896.

The Geneva Players presented productions at various schools and in the barn at Seneca Lake Country Club for a number of years. For seven years, The Geneva Summer Theatre presented plays with a professional company and community actors at the Bartlett Theatre on the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus.

In 1978, the Geneva Theatre Guild, Inc., was founded to foster interest in the performing arts through participation in community theatre. Since that date, the Guild has presented over 60 plays and musicals, involving community members of all ages.

Each summer, "Geneva's amateurs" return to the beautifully restored, historic Smith Opera House to present a summer musical production. This magnificent venue allows area actors, singers and dancers the opportunity to perform on the same stage that once was used by noted vaudeville and theatre personalities.

In 1986, the Geneva Theatre Guild Youth Theatre was founded to provide local youth with an opportunity to be involved in all aspects of a live theatre production. The Youth Theatre also runs "Dramatic Inventions," a series of informal drama classes for children in the third through fifth grades.