CLOSED as of  JANUARY 2019

From the beginning, the theater was a community center, playing host to Chamber of Commerce meetings and neighborhood events. From 1994 to 1997, the theater presented such critically acclaimed productions as On the Waterfront, the World Premiere of The Flight of the Phoenix (two Joseph Jefferson Citations), and Stalag 17 (five Jeff Citations).

Brian Russell became the company's first full-time paid artistic director in March 1997. Russell ushered in a new era of growth and professionalism. The theater changed its name to American Theater Company, began producing four-play subscription seasons, expanded the budget for productions and operations, and cultivated the growth of a full-time staff. Russell ushered in a new era of growth and professionalism, producing four-play subscription seasons, growing the budget from approximately $70,000 to $350,000, increasing the audience ten-fold, and growing the full-time staff. Among the highlights were The Threepenny Opera, American Buffalo and Endgame (with Mike Nussbaum).

Russell stepped down in 2002 and the Board of Directors hired Damon Kiely as the company’s second full-time artistic director. His vision returned the company to its roots of producing only American stories and revised the mission statement to asking the community the question: "What does it mean to be an American?" His tenure included his re-imagining of Oklahoma! which broke box office records and also played at Theater on the Lake. Kiely resigned at the end of the 2007 season to take a full time faculty position at DePaul University.