Quincy Community Theater celebrates 100 years with anniversary gala

QUINCY (WGEM) - Quincy Community Theater is celebrating the past, present and future journeys of its organization.

September marks 100 years QCT has been a part of the community.

Hundreds of volunteers had a hand in preparing for Quincy Community Theater’s 100th Anniversary Gala at the Oakley Lindsay Center Friday night.

One QCT performer said that Friday’s festivities should encompass what the theater means to her personally and what it represents for the local community as a whole.

“Dream Roles Reimagined” is the name of the one-night-only performance featuring 28 past and present QCT members.

QCT board member and “Dream Roles Reimagined” performer Julie Schuetz said it’s an honor to perform in celebration of QCT being a part of the local community for a century.

“This is such a big part of QCT’S history,” Schuetz said. “I started when I was in second grade back when it was Quincy Community Little Theater at the 13th and Payson location and then when I moved back to town as an adult I got the privilege of working with Barb Rowell and so I just have had such a great experience with this organization.”

The red carpet was rolled out for residents to feel like the superstars on stage as they come to see past performers, like Scheutz, make their reappearance for the gala audience.

“Some of the people that are performing are around my age and were performing at the little theater at the time, but we have some people that are completely new, this is their first time on stage and we have some people that were performing well before I was performing at the Quincy Community Little Theater,” Scheutz said.

Executive Director Burgundy Hill said it’s volunteers like Scheutz to credit for the sustainability QCT has seen over 100 years.

The first call to create the formerly known “Little Community Theater in Quincy” came in September 1923.

Hill said about 150 volunteers answered that call to help create what’s known today as QCT.

“Which I think is just a testament to how committed this community has always been to bringing quality entertainment to the area,” Hill said.

100 years later, Hill said the theater continues to grow in production and volunteer numbers as QCT has seen 800 volunteers helping in the last year.

As guests leave the 100 year celebration, she hopes community members know that they’re just as integral in keeping the program alive as the actors and tech crew members are.

“It takes a community to do this and I hope they leave feeling very reinvigorated toward our mission and really committed to sustaining it with us,” Hill said.

Friday night’s celebration was split into three parts.

Guests learned about the history of QCT over dinner, then moved to the auditorium for some live entertainment and finally, heard the 2024 line up of shows in the lobby at the end of the evening.

Money raised Friday night will go towards supporting future QCT productions and art education.

To learn more about volunteering for QCT, click here.

Copyright 2023 WGEM. All rights reserved.