Rockland's oldest community theater just found a new home

There is something worth pausing on in that founding year: 1936. Antrim Playhouse was already producing shows before the Second World War, before television colonized the living room, before most of the neighborhoods in Rockland County looked anything like they do today. Nearly nine decades of all-volunteer productions is a remarkable run for any community organization, and it is the kind of longevity that tends to build real institutional knowledge -- how to cast a difficult second act, how to wrangle a lighting rig, how to hold an audience on a cold Thursday night in November.

In 2024, Antrim relocated to the Manse Barn in Tappan, a village in the southern end of the county that already carries more history per square foot than most places in New York. The Manse Barn is a fitting address for a theater that has been around long enough to have its own history worth preserving. Tappan residents now have a working playhouse essentially in their backyard, and for anyone coming down from Nyack or over from Pearl River, it is an easy destination for a night out that feels genuinely local.

What distinguishes Antrim from a professional regional theater -- and what makes it worth knowing about even if you have never considered setting foot on a stage -- is the open-door structure. The company holds open auditions for its full season of plays and musicals, which means the cast you see on any given weekend probably includes a retired schoolteacher, a few people with day jobs in Midtown, and someone who just moved to the area and wanted to meet people. That mix tends to produce performances with a particular kind of energy that polished productions sometimes lack.

Membership is also open, and not just to actors. If you have ever been curious about what goes into building a set, running a sound board, or producing a show from the ground side of the curtain, Antrim is the kind of place that will hand you a task and teach you while you do it. It is a reasonable answer to the common Rockland County question of how to get more involved in something creative without committing to a two-hour commute into the city.

For the full picture of the current season, audition schedules, and how to get involved, see the full listing.