Thirty years ago, a vacant Masonic temple in the Delaware County village of Franklin was headed toward an uncertain future. Today, the same building — known as Chapel Hall — is home to one of the region’s most enduring arts institutions: the Franklin Stage Company.
The admission-free rural theater is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, marking three decades of performances, community support and artistic experimentation in a 120-seat historic theater tucked into the western Catskills.
Executive Artistic Director Patricia Buckley says the story of Franklin Stage began in the mid-1990s, when founders Eugene and Carole Marner, along with then-Franklin Mayor Thomas Butts, saw potential in the aging building.
“There was a Masonic temple in Franklin which used to be part of a boarding school called the Delaware Literary Institute,” Buckley explained. “The building needed repairs and there weren’t a lot of young men who wanted to become Masons at the time.”
The Marners, who had moved to the area from Brooklyn and purchased a farm nearby, wanted to create a theater company. They bought the building for one dollar and launched the Franklin Stage Company, which has operated as an admission-free theater ever since.
“It was not an equity union theater then, but it is now,” Buckley said. “It has been for 20 years.”
The building itself remains central to the company’s identity. Chapel Hall once served as the chapel and boys’ dormitory for the Delaware Literary Institute before being converted by the Masons into a performance space.
“It’s a very intimate little space,” Buckley said. “It’s 120 seats and the stage is raised. It’s kind of an old jewel-box kind of proscenium theater. You feel very, very close to the performers when you see a show there.”
Outside, the theater’s wraparound porch has become part of the experience as audience members gather during intermission to discuss the performances.
“The architectural element of it is kind of great,” Buckley said. “People like to go out there during the intermission and talk about the shows.”
Over the years, the company’s programming has evolved beyond its early focus on classical theater. Shakespeare still appears in the lineup, but the company now also presents modern classics and a growing visiting artist series featuring dance, puppetry, opera and other touring performances.
“We like to think we bring some things to the area that aren’t typically brought here,” Buckley said. “We have developed our dance program and we’ve had dance coming to the theater every year for like the last five or six years. There’s not a lot of dance being produced in our area.”
That commitment to accessibility remains central to the theater’s mission. Audiences reserve seats for free, and donations are collected after performances.
“If folks cannot afford to give, they’re still welcome to partake and see the show,” Buckley said.
More information about the Franklin Stage Company’s May 31 anniversary celebration and summer season is available at Franklin Stage Company.
Image Credit: Franklin Stage Company