The Athens Community Theater
Owned by Athens-Clarke County, Georgia
Home of Town & Gown Players
The playhouse was built in 1968 by W. A. Mathis, the contractor who was engaged in saving the historic Taylor-Grady House, and donated to the then City of Athens by him and Mrs. Mathis. Jean Mathis, a founder of Town & Gown, was a University of Georgia theater graduate who appeared in a number of productions and directed others. The architect of the building was Robert Nichols. The deed of gift dedicated the building to Town & Gown for its perpetual use; today the company has "privileged" use of the house under an extended lease.
If this facility has a defect, it's that people trip over their tongues when giving directions to it. You will sometimes hear folks respond to an inquiry with, "Well, how long have you lived in Athens?" To my knowledge the place has three official street addresses. Mapquest will get you close at least (enter 115 Grady Avenue, Athens GA 30601), but the street number isn't evident. Look carefully on the left for an unmarked driveway from Grady Avenue. Whoops, you passed it!
A few years ago I surveyed the stage and created a plan drawing, which you can view here in two versions, one with dimensions and one with annotations. Click the one you'd like to see. The annotated drawing page includes some commentary on using the space.
| Drawing with dimensions | Drawing with annotations | My Town & Gown pages | The official Town & Gown web site |
| Approved Ben Teague web site |
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