Peacock Performing Arts Center

Last updated
Peacock Performing Arts Center
Peacock Playhouse
The Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville, North Carolina.jpg
Peacock Performing Arts Center
Address301 Church Street
Hayesville, North Carolina
Coordinates 35°02′55″N83°49′09″W / 35.048531°N 83.819171°W / 35.048531; -83.819171
OperatorLillith Lidseen Performing Arts Association
Capacity 250
Opened6 June 1986;38 years ago (1986-06-06)
Website
http://www.thepeacocknc.org

The Peacock Performing Arts Center, also known as the Peacock Playhouse, is a four-story, 250-seat theatre in Hayesville, North Carolina. When it was built in the 1980s, it was the only community theatre in far-west North Carolina and was unique as a professional-style theatre in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains and one of the poorest counties in the state. [1] [2]

History

The theatre was built by Lillith Lidseen, who moved to Clay County after her brother Edwin established a pipe manufacturing business in Warne. [3] Lidseen was born in Sweden in 1904, moved with her parents to Chicago, studied fine arts at Wellesley College, acted on stage in Chicago, and taught drama at Hollins College. [4] [5] She moved to Tusquittee, North Carolina, in the 1950s. [6] Lidseen was then asked to direct Brigadoon and Annie Get Your Gun by nonprofit volunteer theatre troupe the Licklog Players (named after the local Licklog Creek). The troupe had performed shows on the cramped stage of Hayesville High School's auditorium since 1978. Seeing the community's love of theatre, in 1979 Lidseen vowed to construct a professional venue in the town of about 400 people. [7] Lidseen's dream for the building was that it be used for education in music, dance, and theatre, showcasing community events as well as national touring companies. Though the idea stemmed from the need to give Licklog a home, all theatre groups in the area were expected to use the facility. [8]

The property was purchased in 1980 [9] and blueprints for the playhouse were drafted in March 1981 by architect Larry Graham of Athens. [8] Then construction on the $750,000 project began on Church Street in downtown Hayesville. [8] Lidseen sold her personal holdings in Chicago, mortgaged her local real estate, and gave all of her personal funds toward the building. [9] However, construction was halted in August 1982 after the IRS audited the Lidseen Foundation. [8] Out of money, Lidseen feared the IRS would take away her home and her health declined due to her worries. [9] The nearly-complete building sat idle for years, attracting vandals. In 1985, Licklog began to use the facility to store materials and sets. [8] By the time auditors gave a green light, Lidseen had entered a rest home. In spring 1986, when the Licklog Players were no longer allowed to use the school auditorium, the community pitched in with financial support and labor to see the playhouse open and the Licklog Players brought the building up to code. [6] [2] [9]

The auditorium and stage during a play rehearsal The theatre stage and auditorium of the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville, North Carolina 03.jpg
The auditorium and stage during a play rehearsal

The theatre's first show was The Curious Savage by the Licklog Players on June 6, 1986. The play, about an old wealthy woman who gave away money to folks with crazy dreams, was dedicated to Lidseen. Lidseen was seriously ill at the time of the theatre's opening and died January 7, 1987, before she was able to see a production there. [6] Her ghost is said to haunt the theatre. [10] At its opening the theatre was described by the Asheville Citizen-Times as the "fanciest community theater west of Asheville" with a "21st century design" and a "first-rate stage." [2] Lidseen raised peafowl on her property and the building was named after her favorite animal. The seats were upholstered in peacock blue, feathers adorn the interior, and a stained glass peacock looks over the lobby. [11] [6] [12] [8] At completion, the theatre was one of the largest inhabitable structures in the county. [13]

The Licklog Players staged around eight plays each season at the theatre. A dance studio and costume shop occupied the top floor. A weeklong summer youth theatre camp, Peacock Pride, operated by the 1990s. By 2007, the building was threatened by debt and deterioration. Padgett & Freeman Architects designed plans in 2008 to construct an annex on the southwest side of the building to house a black box theatre, but it was not constructed. The Lilith Lidseen Performing Arts Association was founded in 2007 and raised $800,000 to buy the playhouse in 2009 and renovate it. [14] After performing more than 100 plays at the venue, the Licklog Players moved to a strip mall and closed down following their 2014 season. The LLPAA diversified the range of content staged at the venue, adding concerts, dance classes, and writer events year-round in addition to staging three plays, a musical, and kids camps each season. [15] The LLPAA began selling concessions and alcohol at the theatre for the first time. [16] The Peacock's roof was repaired in 2024, but a replacement is still needed. The venue's restrooms are slated to be renovated in early 2025 to be ADA compliant. [17] The venue remains the only purpose-built community theatre in the region west of Franklin, North Carolina. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Clay County is a county located in the far western part of U.S. state North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,089. The county seat is Hayesville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Cherokee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It borders Tennessee to its west and Georgia to its south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,774. The county seat is Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asheville, North Carolina</span> City in the United States

Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the most populous city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most-populous city. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,589, up from 83,393 in the 2010 census. It is the principal city in the three-county Asheville metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 417,202 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrews, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Andrews is a town in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,667 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murphy, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Murphy is a town in and the county seat of Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Valley rivers. It is the westernmost county seat in the state of North Carolina, approximately 360 miles (580 km) from the state capital in Raleigh. The population of Murphy was 1,608 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayesville, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Hayesville is a town in Clay County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 311 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Clay County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tusquittee, North Carolina</span> Unincorporated community in North Carolina, US

Tusquittee is an unincorporated community located in Clay County, North Carolina, United States. It is bordered on the north by Fires Creek Bear Reserve, which is within the Nantahala National Forest. The Tusquitee Mountain range includes Tusquitee Bald at 5,240 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kravis Center for the Performing Arts</span>

The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit, professional performing arts center in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Highway 69</span> State highway in Clay County, North Carolina, US

North Carolina Highway 69 (NC 69) is a 3.876-mile-long (6.238 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs north–south from the Georgia state line to Hayesville, west of Chatuge Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warne, North Carolina</span> Unincorporated community in North Carolina, United States

Warne ( "worn") is an unincorporated community in Brasstown Township, Clay County, North Carolina, United States. In 2010, Clay County was the fourth least populated county in North Carolina, inhabited by approximately 10,587 people. The region has added considerably to its population, a 20.6% increase since 2000. Warne is closer to the capitals of five other states than to Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tri-County Community College</span> College in Murphy, North Carolina, U.S.

Tri-County Community College is a public community college in Murphy, North Carolina. It was founded in 1964 to serve Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties and is part of the North Carolina Community College System.

<i>Clay County Progress</i> Weekly newspaper in Hayesville, North Carolina

Clay County Progress is a weekly newspaper in Hayesville, North Carolina, and Clay County. It covers Clay and Cherokee counties in North Carolina and Towns County, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayesville High School</span> American public school in North Carolina

Hayesville High School is a school located in Hayesville, North Carolina and is part of the Clay County School District. It is the only public high school in Clay County. As of 2024, the school's enrollment is 371 students and it has 33 teaching staff members. That is an average of 10.27 students per teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brasstown, North Carolina</span> Unincorporated community in North Carolina, United States

Brasstown is an unincorporated community located mostly within Clay County, North Carolina, United States, though roughly one third of Brasstown is within the adjacent Cherokee County. Brasstown Creek travels through the community and separates the two counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay County School District (North Carolina)</span> School district in North Carolina, United States

Clay County Schools (CCS) manages the public school system in Clay County, North Carolina. It is the only school district in Clay County and covers all of the county with about 1,320 students attending a total of 4 separate schools located on a central campus in Hayesville. After county government, Clay County Schools is the county's largest employer with a staff of 205 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital</span> Hospital in North Carolina, United States

Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital is a hospital located in Murphy, North Carolina certified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is the only hospital in the state west of Bryson City and Franklin. The hospital is licensed for 191 beds. Of the 191 beds, 120 are nursing home beds, 57 are general beds, and 14 are beds for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat Rock Playhouse</span> Theater in North Carolina, United States

Flat Rock Playhouse is a professional, non-profit theatre located in the village of Flat Rock, NC known for quality productions of popular musicals, comedies, and dramas. In 1961, the theatre was named the State Theatre of North Carolina by the North Carolina General Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay County Courthouse (North Carolina)</span> United States historic place

The Clay County Courthouse is located on Main Street in Hayesville, Clay County, North Carolina. The T-shaped two-story brick building was built in 1888, and is a prominent local example of vernacular Italianate architecture. Its most visible feature is a three-story square tower, which projects for half its width from the main facade, and through which entry to the building is gained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peachtree, North Carolina</span> Community located in Cherokee County, North Carolina

Peachtree is a community located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. It is named after the numerous peach trees found in the area.

References

  1. 1 2 Smith, Melissa C. (August 1, 2011). "The Little Theatre That Could". WNC Magazine. North Carolina: Gulfstream Communications.
  2. 1 2 3 Kiss, Tony (1987-06-19). "Peacock Playhouse a Place Theater Folks Dream About". The Asheville Citizen. p. 29. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  3. ↑ Moore, Carl S. (2008). Clay County, N.C.: Then and Now. Franklin, N.C.: Genealogy Publishing Service. ISBN   978-1881851240.
  4. ↑ "N. U. playshop to give "Third Vest Button". Chicago Tribune . 1931-02-08. p. 85. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  5. ↑ "Hollins College Is Preparing To Open 1926-27 Session". The Roanoke World-News. 1926-08-09. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Scott, Bob (1986-06-13). "Dream Theater Comes of Age". Asheville Citizen-Times . p. 11. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  7. ↑ "Theater Woman's Dream Come True". Hickory Daily Record . 1986-06-14. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Byrd, Michael (1986-06-05). ""Curious Savage" and Peacock Playhouse to debut on same night". Clay County Progress . pp. 1, 6.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Woody, Merinda Swanson (2017). Clay County Heritage North Carolina Vol. II. Hayesville, NC: The Clay County Heritage Book Committee. p. 144.
  10. ↑ Sposto, Caroline (June 20, 2021). "Learn More About the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Hayesville Gem: The Peacock Performing Arts Center". Advantage Chatuge Realty. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  12. ↑ Kiss, Tony (1986-06-07). "A Company Without a Curtain". Asheville Citizen-Times . p. 20. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  13. ↑ McClain, Patrick (1986). "The Licklog Players and the Peacock Playhouse: A Showcase for "The Curious Savage"". Clay County Progress .
  14. ↑ "Playhouse gets some help from nonprofit". Asheville Citizen-Times . 2007-12-15. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  15. ↑ "About Us". Peacock Performing Arts Center. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  16. ↑ Andrews, Rick (2024-04-21). "Sean Rice: Peacock Playhouse Operations Manager". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  17. ↑ Ponitz, Lily (2024-11-27). "Peacock to upgrade restrooms and improve patron experience". Cherokee Scout . Murphy, NC: Community Newspapers Inc. p. 8B.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.