The Evansville Civic Theatre was founded in 1926 by Frances Golden, the youngest member of New Harmony’s celebrated Golden Troupe. Members were originally called the Peoples Players, and later, the Community Players, a name that endured until 1956. In that year, the organization received a non-profit corporate charter and was renamed the Evansville Civic Theatre; nearly two decades later, the company settled into a permanent home in the old Columbia Theater building at Fulton Avenue and Columbia Street. Some of the Community Players are seen here in April 1941 as they prepare backstage for their final production of the season, “First Lady,†a political satire that was performed in Bosse High School’s auditorium.
