Ghent Playhouse

About Us:

Since 1974 the Columbia Civic Players at the Ghent Playhouse have been providing quality theater productions in a consistent and critically acclaimed manner through plays and related activities. The Players also provide learning experiences to all those who participate - on stage, behind the scenes, or as theater-goers. Over the last 28 years the Players have provided the best of contemporary theater, including comedies, dramas, musicals, reviews, and more. A review of productions helps to understand the great contribution the actors and volunteers of CCP have made to the community. No one is "full-time" and no one is paid, yet everyone involved gives generously of their time and talent so that the community - actors and audience alike - can experience that special engagement with theater that is a vital part of our human experience. For years, the CCP performed in halls, auditoriums, churches and restaurants. That nomadic life had its drawbacks but those years brought exciting development and growth. Since 1988, CCP has had the pleasure of performing in its present location, the Ghent Playhouse.

Nearly 110 years ago the Town of Ghent built its Town Hall and operated from it until 1987 when the administration of the Town was relocated to the old Ghent School. At a town meeting held on August 20, 1987 the only person to provide an idea for the use of the old Town Hall was Barbara Perry, then president of the CCP and former artistic director. Two years prior she had approached the town asking to use the old school as a venue for performances - so requesting the use of the Town Hall was both logical and as it turned out, fateful. So, in 1988 the Players found a home and named it the Ghent Playhouse. A long-term dream had come true. After much interior demolition and reconstruction from a corps of volunteers, new and old, the Playhouse opened a two-week run of Carnival on January 13, 1989. The Playhouse has been operating continuously at this location ever since. In early 2001, the building was purchased from the town and so begins a major renovation and addition that will enable the Columbia Civic Players to continue to provide the community with the best of theatrical entertainment but in a facility designed for the comfort of the audience and the artistic needs of the Players.