Celebrating its 86th season, the Cape Playhouse is proud to be America's Oldest Professional Summer Theatre; it's today's theater in an historic venue. Californian Raymond Moore spent several summers in Provincetown where he was involved in painting scenery, writing plays and acting in theatre there. His vision, however, was to have a theatre of his own - a smart, sophisticated summer theatre, which would bring Broadway to Cape Cod. So, in 1927, he bought a 19th century former Unitarian Meeting House for $200, had it moved to 3 1/2 acres of pasture land fronting the Old Kings Highway in Dennis and converted it into a theatre. The Cape Playhouse has been kept true to its original structure - even the original pews still serve as seats. The opening performance on July 4, 1927 was The Guardsman, starring Basil Rathbone. Over the years, Moore attracted many big name stars from Broadway and the silver screen. Many made their professional stage debuts at the Cape Playhouse. With such stars as Bette Davis (who first worked as an usher), Gregory Peck, Gertrude Lawrence, Lana Turner, Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart, Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Julie Harris, and Paulette Goddard, it's no wonder the Cape Playhouse is known as "The Birthplace of the Stars". From the mid-50s to the early 70s, the Cape Playhouse became home to three educational programs which provided summer classes in all areas of the theatre. Many young aspiring performers spent their summers here. In 1956, a young student was given a small part in The Male Animal, starring Henry Fonda (his daughter, Jane)! These days, most of the stars still come from Broadway, but others are more familiar to the public as movie and television stars. It seems that almost every well known star of stage, screen and TV has walked the stage of the Cape Playhouse. For each season of its 86 summers, the Cape Playhouse has endeavored to bring the best performers, favorite and familiar plays, comedies, mysteries and musicals to the audiences of Cape Cod. The ultimate goal is to guarantee quality, professional entertainment in the form of great theatre. Curtain Up!
