This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A thriving community usually has a thriving community theater.

In the Piedmont Triad, we’re lucky to have several.

The Winston-Salem Foundation recognizes what a community theatre can mean to a city, and has helped the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance grow into what it is today, and what it will become tomorrow.

“We are basically a volunteer-run entity that does everything from marketing to set building, light, sound, our designers work a small stipend, but everybody else from box office to reservations is all volunteers,” Jamie Lawson, the Artistic Director for Theatre Alliance, said.

The Theatre Alliance has never had a permanent place to call home since its founding in 1983. But spring of 2021, the non-profit bought and renovated a building on West Sixth Street in the Downtown Arts District of Winston-Salem, with the help of the Winston-Salem Foundation.

“The support of Winston-Salem foundation actually has been huge for us and I one of the primary ways it has helped us when we’re trying to plan our next step so they’re grants helped us years ago when we were thinking about purchasing and renovating a building,” Steve Robinson, board president, said.

With the help of the Winston-Salem Foundation, the Theatre Alliance is already planning for the future.

“The foundation has just been it truly has fulfilled with us I think its mission is for the city is to find a non-profit that they feel strongly about their mission and propelling them into the light and making them stronger and more self-sustaining,” Lawson said.

The Theatre Alliance prides itself on putting on diverse performances throughout the year, and the lineup reflects it. “The Spongebob Musical” premieres Jan. 21, followed by the play “Parade” in February and “Elvis: the Musical” in March.

You can find out more on their website.