Mission Statement
Thomasville On Stage And Company, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enrichment of life for all persons in Thomas County and South Georgia by encouraging active participation in the production and performance of live theatre, and by encouraging production attendance.
TOSAC is committed and pleased to support artistic expression in our community. The views and opinions expressed in individual productions and by their participants are not necessarily representative of the views of TOSAC.
History
In 1979, a local woman, Tina Hughes, placed an ad in the Times-Enterprise looking for people interested in developing a community theater in Thomasville. A first meeting was held at the Thomas College Chapel with around thirty attendees, including Tina Cyphers. Tina was an energetic woman with many ideas for the fledgling group. At the second meeting the group decided to produce their first show, The Curious Savage. Auditions were held and the first cast was formed, which included Margaret Turner, Ron Shank, Len Powell, Jimmy Singletary and Gary McClain.
During their first production, the group spent a great deal of preparatory time at the home of Bob and Madeline Boissiere. Madeline provided costumes, and helped with set design and publicity; soon everything for the first show came together. Madeline later became the group’s historian and designer of TOSAC’s first logo, consisting of a comedy and tragedy mask, a rose vine, and the name Thomasville On Stage And Company.
For years Thomasville On Stage and Company (TOSAC) was without a home, performing mostly in backyards, and in local schools including Magnolia-Chapelle, Macintyre Park and Jerger. In the Early 1980′s the acquisition of The Storefront Theater in downtown Thomasville by the Marguerite Neel-Williams Foundation gave TOSAC a home. The location provided the group with an eighty-seat auditorium, workshop, material storage space, costume storage, green room, restrooms and concessions area.
In the early 1990′s The Storefront was renovated, moving the stage to its current location, creating wings and a backstage area. Risers were added to the auditorium for better audience visibility, and a control booth was added with light and sound controls. The Storefront’s crumbling facade was rebuilt, and a lobby and awnings were added.
TOSAC produces four shows a year; past shows include: Guys And Dolls, South Pacific, Annie, Lost In Yonkers, The Odd Couple, The Glass Menagerie, The Lion in Winter, Angel Street, The Bad Seed, You Can’t Take it with You and Steel Magnolias, as well as works by local playwrights.