History of the Holly Theater, Dahlonega
July 1948
Holly Theatre opens as a movie house by Randall Holly Brannon.
1970-1979
Theatre closes. Temporary tenants, several revival attempts as a movie theatre follow. Problems with flat-roof leakage begin. Eventually, a full closure results. Over time, building falls into total disrepair.
1990-1993
Group of concerned citizens negotiates the purchase of the building; forms a non-profit corporation, Holly Theatre Community Center, Inc.; begins successful fund raising from a broad section of Dahlonega/Lumpkin County community; invests thousands of hours of volunteer labor for clean up; begins building restoration. Every effort is made to preserve historic authenticity, including the original marquee and the façade of local marble.
November 1993
Holly Theatre opens with The Mountain Music Night, a benefit performance.
1994
First full production presented, Driving Miss Daisy, by local amateur community group The Holly Players.
1994-1998
Success continues with a couple of local productions per year of musicals and plays, augmented by bringing back the movies. The Children’s Theatre program begins for local youth. Basement is cleaned up, dirt floor leveled and concrete poured to make the space usable (now known as the Black Box). Players reemerge as the Holly Theatre Company, a name retained to this day.
1999
A regular season is established of community theater productions, movies and occasional concerts.
2002
Holly Theatre receives the recognition of a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It becomes integral part of the Downtown Historic District, contributing to business and tourism development.
2000-2010
Theater grows into a popular venue. Great community support enables the leadership to pay off the 20-year purchase note ahead of time and secures a revolving bank loan to finance productions. Late in the decade, new Boards of Directors become less community oriented, hire more staff, and borrow larger sums in the face of post-recession economy and slow recovery, leading to financial instability.
2011
Experiments with more contemporary plays and fewer musicals add to the theatre’s economic woes. One source of income, the movies, has to be discontinued because of industry transition to unaffordable digital projectors.
2012
Critical year in the life of the theatre: the indebted Holly is required by the bank to provide the property as collateral. Maintenance issues of the building become very pressing. In response to financial pressure, all staff is laid off. Board resignations, show cancelations and temporary closing of the theatre follow during the summer.
Revival
An angel steps in to take over the mortgage payments for a year. A skeletal Board reaches out to the community in a well-attended town hall meeting to call for early board elections and to outline a business plan that will rely on strictly volunteer-run model. By the fall of 2012, like the legendary Phoenix, Holly Theatre re-emerges with new popular productions. Soon, all vendors can be paid, and a well-subscribed 2013 theatre season is announced.
2013
The community is engaged again and the theatre thrives. Raise the Roof campaign successfully garners funds to replace the original, leaky roof and to install more efficient down spouts. Stage lighting and sound systems are also improved. The management contracts with a professional marketing firm, resulting in growing audiences and a more solidly recognized brand. The theatre can celebrate a great 20th Anniversary.
2014
Having stabilized the building, the theatre applies for the Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) Preservation Grant and partners with The Dahlonega Downtown Development Authority for the FY 2015 Tourism Product Development Grant, to be matched by the Holly’s fund raising.
2015
Grants and matching funds successfully in place, the theatre completes external renovations: re-pointing the brick walls and repairing the marble façade and re-wiring the original marquee with energy-efficient LED lights.
2016-2018
As it celebrates its Silver Anniversary and beyond, the Holly Theatre Community Center continues to serve as a beloved performance venue and a heart of the community. It relies on countless volunteers to run all aspects of its operations. A matching FTI Planning Grant is received to help improve interiors and production values.
2019
Solid financial footing is reached to ensure long-term viability. Another FTI grant pays for architectural plans (Jeff Crocker, BCA Studios of Gainesville) for stage, safety and HVAC enhancements. Capital fundraising for these renovations is launched: ELEVATE! Holly Theatre Campaign for New Stage Magic: Taking Holly Shows from Great to Amazing!
2020-2023
Two federal grants (ARC and USDA-RBDG) and a major challenge grant (MI Holdings) provide nearly half of the needed funds; internal renovations are carried out during the closure forced by COVID-19 restrictive measures. The community rallies once more to complete a record $650,000 campaign goal to complete the project. The Holly starts coming back with small summer previews and concerts. The grand reopening is on October 22, 2021, with the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast. A short season ends with nearly sold-out performances of The Sound of Music and the new, full 2022-2023 Season is announced, themed ‘Hope Endures and Love Conquers All.’ 2023 marks our milestone Anniversaries: 75 years of the Holly Theatre, 30 years of the Holly Theatre Community Center.
July 1948
Holly Theatre opens as a movie house by Randall Holly Brannon.
1970-1979
Theatre closes. Temporary tenants, several revival attempts as a movie theatre follow. Problems with flat-roof leakage begin. Eventually, a full closure results. Over time, building falls into total disrepair.
1990-1993
Group of concerned citizens negotiates the purchase of the building; forms a non-profit corporation, Holly Theatre Community Center, Inc.; begins successful fund raising from a broad section of Dahlonega/Lumpkin County community; invests thousands of hours of volunteer labor for clean up; begins building restoration. Every effort is made to preserve historic authenticity, including the original marquee and the façade of local marble.
November 1993
Holly Theatre opens with The Mountain Music Night, a benefit performance.
1994
First full production presented, Driving Miss Daisy, by local amateur community group The Holly Players.
1994-1998
Success continues with a couple of local productions per year of musicals and plays, augmented by bringing back the movies. The Children’s Theatre program begins for local youth. Basement is cleaned up, dirt floor leveled and concrete poured to make the space usable (now known as the Black Box). Players reemerge as the Holly Theatre Company, a name retained to this day.
1999
A regular season is established of community theater productions, movies and occasional concerts.
2002
Holly Theatre receives the recognition of a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It becomes integral part of the Downtown Historic District, contributing to business and tourism development.
2000-2010
Theater grows into a popular venue. Great community support enables the leadership to pay off the 20-year purchase note ahead of time and secures a revolving bank loan to finance productions. Late in the decade, new Boards of Directors become less community oriented, hire more staff, and borrow larger sums in the face of post-recession economy and slow recovery, leading to financial instability.
2011
Experiments with more contemporary plays and fewer musicals add to the theatre’s economic woes. One source of income, the movies, has to be discontinued because of industry transition to unaffordable digital projectors.
2012
Critical year in the life of the theatre: the indebted Holly is required by the bank to provide the property as collateral. Maintenance issues of the building become very pressing. In response to financial pressure, all staff is laid off. Board resignations, show cancelations and temporary closing of the theatre follow during the summer.
Revival
An angel steps in to take over the mortgage payments for a year. A skeletal Board reaches out to the community in a well-attended town hall meeting to call for early board elections and to outline a business plan that will rely on strictly volunteer-run model. By the fall of 2012, like the legendary Phoenix, Holly Theatre re-emerges with new popular productions. Soon, all vendors can be paid, and a well-subscribed 2013 theatre season is announced.
2013
The community is engaged again and the theatre thrives. Raise the Roof campaign successfully garners funds to replace the original, leaky roof and to install more efficient down spouts. Stage lighting and sound systems are also improved. The management contracts with a professional marketing firm, resulting in growing audiences and a more solidly recognized brand. The theatre can celebrate a great 20th Anniversary.
2014
Having stabilized the building, the theatre applies for the Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) Preservation Grant and partners with The Dahlonega Downtown Development Authority for the FY 2015 Tourism Product Development Grant, to be matched by the Holly’s fund raising.
2015
Grants and matching funds successfully in place, the theatre completes external renovations: re-pointing the brick walls and repairing the marble façade and re-wiring the original marquee with energy-efficient LED lights.
2016-2018
As it celebrates its Silver Anniversary and beyond, the Holly Theatre Community Center continues to serve as a beloved performance venue and a heart of the community. It relies on countless volunteers to run all aspects of its operations. A matching FTI Planning Grant is received to help improve interiors and production values.
2019
Solid financial footing is reached to ensure long-term viability. Another FTI grant pays for architectural plans (Jeff Crocker, BCA Studios of Gainesville) for stage, safety and HVAC enhancements. Capital fundraising for these renovations is launched: ELEVATE! Holly Theatre Campaign for New Stage Magic: Taking Holly Shows from Great to Amazing!
2020-2023
Two federal grants (ARC and USDA-RBDG) and a major challenge grant (MI Holdings) provide nearly half of the needed funds; internal renovations are carried out during the closure forced by COVID-19 restrictive measures. The community rallies once more to complete a record $650,000 campaign goal to complete the project. The Holly starts coming back with small summer previews and concerts. The grand reopening is on October 22, 2021, with the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast. A short season ends with nearly sold-out performances of The Sound of Music and the new, full 2022-2023 Season is announced, themed ‘Hope Endures and Love Conquers All.’ 2023 marks our milestone Anniversaries: 75 years of the Holly Theatre, 30 years of the Holly Theatre Community Center.