Franklin Stage Company to Celebrate 30 Years Of Admission-Free Theater

Franklin Stage Company will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026, marking three decades of producing professional, admission-free theater for the community and visitors alike.

Founded in 1997, Franklin Stage Company was created with a simple but powerful mission: to make theater accessible to everyone, regardless of income or background. For the past 30 years, the company has presented over 70 productions ranging from classic plays to contemporary works and has presented visiting artists working in a variety of disciplines including dance, music, puppetry and solo work, all offered free of charge to audiences in the region.

The company's home, Chapel Hall, is itself a vital part of local history. The building was formerly one of the campus buildings of the Delaware Literary Institute, an important 19th-century center for education and cultural life in the Catskills. FSC's founders, Eugene and Carol Marner, and Thomas Butts, purchased Chapel Hall for $1 from a local Masonic chapter who owned the building in the late 1990s with a promise to keep the building in the public sphere, rather than allow an interested developer to purchase the edifice and turn the building into condos. Although in some disrepair at the time, FSC has performed repairs, upgrades, and restoration of nearly half a million dollars on the building since then; today Chapel Hall continues the legacy of serving as a gathering place for creativity, storytelling, and community through live performance.

“Thirty years of admission free theater is an extraordinary milestone,” said Patricia Buckley, Executive Artistic Director of Franklin Stage Company. “Performing in a building with such deep historical roots reminds us that the arts have always mattered here. We're proud to continue that tradition and to ensure our performances remain open and accessible to all.”

To commemorate the anniversary, Franklin Stage Company will present events to be announced, honoring the company's history while looking ahead to its future. Anniversary programming will include special performances, talkbacks, and community celebrations.