The word is out, we are moving to Cussewago Square this fall! We are starting to share sneak peeks into this space, and are actively fundraising to meet the needs of furnishing a new theater. Contact us if you are interested in donating to the cause.
This is how it all happened
The French Creek Community Theatre (FCCT) and Meadville Community Theatre (MCT) wish to first sincerely thank Rob Smith and RAN Investments LLC for having the vision to preserve Cussewago Square, an important part of Meadville history, and for their willingness to include our organizations in its renaissance.
Both FCCT and MCT have rich histories of providing quality theatrical productions to the Meadville community for decades. Specifically, FCCT focuses on youth productions, while MCT specializes in dramas, small musicals and original shows created by local writers. Both organizations are totally volunteer based. There is no paid staff and revenue is generated solely from ticket sales and limited fundraising efforts.
MCT has occupied the Oddfellows building on the Allegheny campus for 44 years. Although the space is beloved, with many great memories, the building is over 100 years old and has many challenges. MCT began a search for a new home before the pandemic, investigating local existing spaces, but not considering a newly built facility because of extremely limited resources.
FCCT does not have a theater of its own, holding productions usually in rented spaces of local high school stages and at Allegheny College. Shows often involve over 70 children and require large sets, which are created at their rented garage space and then constructed on stage. FCCT currently leases a rehearsal space on the 3rd floor of a downtown Meadville location that lacks the necessary accessibility to support their mission of inclusivity.
Following purchase of the Cussewago Square property in 2023, Rob Smith heard about the MCT search and FCCT need and offered to renovate one of the existing buildings for theatrical use, at RAN’s expense. The organizations must fund any necessary equipment, such as staging, seating, lighting, audio/visual etc. A long-term lease has been developed to finalize this arrangement. RAN has also renovated a building to be used by FCCT for set construction and created a new outdoor theater available to both organizations.
In appreciation for this wonderful gift, FCCT and MCT have named the building the Penny Smith Theatre, in honor of Rob Smith’s mother. The “Penny,” as it has already become known, has several main components shown here:
