Spotlight on the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre
Tracing our community theatre since 1980
The ART has now been in existence for over 40 years, remarkable for a small community theater. Throughout, it has remained true to its ideals, providing a grass-roots, cross-cultural theater, and showcase volunteers staging the classics to avant-garde and original material.
We create theatre for the community, by the community, and hope to for many, many years to come.
Challenge, Accepted
1980 - Collaboration Sparks at the old Star Garage
ART was founded as a grassroots community theater by Ajamu Mutima in the old Star Garage (then a vacant warehouse space owned by the city), part of a consortium called the Neighborhood Arts Coalition, which included the Laverne Porter dancers. Ajamu agreed to share the nascent theater with another troupe called Theaterworks— at first, alternating productions, then merging— and The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre was born.
From the beginning, ART was dedicated to cross-cultural theater, producing classic, avant-garde, and sometimes original material.
1986 - ART at the Baird Center
In 1985, the city decided to sell the Star Garage as part of a downtown redevelopment project. After many City Council meetings, petitions and protests (including an original political satire called Fact Wino Meets the Phantom of the Star Garage— one of the Acrosstown’s biggest hits), the City of Gainesville generously provided the group with a grant to relocate. In 1986, the ART converted the warehouse space at the Baird Center into a small theater.
2022 - ART as a Roaming Theatre
ART moved out of the Baird Center, following the end of our lease. With the rental market at the time, we decided to be a roaming theatre for a year’s time. Due to the dedication of our board members, the ART was able to continue making theatre in the Gainesville community. ART produced projects in collaboration with the city to provide free theatre to the public.
2023 - ART moves to Creekside Mall
ART found its current home at the Creekside Mall and restarted with a new season of theatre. We continued to provide programs freely available to the public, including arts workshops, radio plays, and a youth theatre program.
Thank you for your support of the Acrosstown.
Without you— our donators, volunteers and audiences— we would not survive. With you, there’s nothing we cannot achieve.
We would like to thank Dr. Andrew Gordon for providing us a brief history of the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre.
For an archive of our previous seasons and gallery of photos, please follow the linked page here.