Grants from the Crawford Heritage Community Foundation Unrestricted Fund and the Tom, Becky & Geoff Hall Fund
For more than half a century, the Meadville Community Theatre has been a labor of love. Volunteers built sets by hand, stitched costumes late into the night, and painted backdrops between full-time jobs. They did it because they believed in what happens when people share stories together.
Laughter, connection, and understanding have always filled the air at MCT. It has been a place where neighbors become friends, and where audiences see their own lives reflected back to them under the glow of the stage lights.
But over time, those lights began to dim. Equipment grew outdated, sound was inconsistent, and seating made it difficult for some to enjoy the experience. For a small volunteer-run theatre, those challenges felt heavy. Yet the passion of the people behind MCT never faded. They kept rehearsing, kept performing, and kept believing that their little corner of Meadville still mattered.
When plans for the new Penny Smith Theatre began, the Crawford Heritage Community Foundation saw an opportunity to help bring that belief to life. Grants from the Unrestricted Fund and the Tom, Becky & Geoff Hall Fund provided the resources needed for new lighting, sound, and seating.
Those upgrades did more than modernize a building. They reignited a dream.
Now, young performers step onto a stage that truly supports them. Every line can be heard. Every emotion can be seen. Audience members settle into comfortable seats and watch their community shine.
“You could feel it,” one longtime volunteer said. “On opening night, when the lights came up, people were crying. Not because of the play, but because they knew what it took to make this possible.”
The transformation of the Penny Smith Theatre is about more than equipment. It is about renewal. It is about what happens when a community chooses to care for the things that bring it joy.
Through the generosity of local donors and the power of endowments, MCT’s legacy will keep inspiring future generations of storytellers. Every curtain call now carries a quiet reminder: when we give together, the spotlight belongs to all of us.
Every gift tells a story. Every story becomes a legacy.
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