About

Court Square Theater History

Court Square Theater was once the home of Rockingham Motor Company (RMC), one of the premier car dealers in Downtown Harrisonburg from the 1920s through 1970s. When downtown revitalization began in 1998, Court Square Theater (originally called The Rockingham Theater) was carved out of the existing building along with three other businesses. The architecture of the old RMC was kept intact, with outside RMC crests preserved – and duplicated inside of the theater. The ticket box office came from the historic Kavanaugh hotel, lending another note of history.

In 2000 a group of local citizens who had long dreamed of bolstering the arts within the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County communities, came together on the Rockingham Theater stage to form the organization now known as Arts Council of the Valley. The new nonprofit was charged with managing the theater as its performing arts branch and creating innovative partnerships in the arts among area civic organizations, businesses, schools, and artists.

Court Square Theater’s ACT ONE Educational Program adds monthly Master Classes to the 2024 Season!

Court Square Theater (CST) ACT ONE educational program is now recruiting visual and performing artists to serve as instructors for a new series of Master Classes
to be held at CST beginning in January 2024. Class formats may range from lectures to demonstrations to workshops in various areas of the visual and performing arts, crafts, and other creative disciplines. Each month, a three-hour class will feature a different topic and instructor. This new ACT ONE initiative is supported in part by The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts.

Prospective instructors are invited to apply with class proposals and resumes.
Artists, who will be compensated for their teaching, must provide their own curriculum for three hours of instruction. Details and application form are available HERE.

CST rolled out its educational program, ACT ONE, in fall 2022. The program is designed to foster a love for and understanding of theater through instruction in the various aspects involved in bringing a production from script to stage. ACT ONE also encompasses CST’s Summer Theater Camps, a Spring Musical (“Shrek the Musical, Jr February 22-25, 2024), and a Fall Play starring local actors over the age of 60 (“Twelve Angry Jurors” in December 2024).

Located at 41-F Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia, Court Square Theater is operated by Arts Council of the Valley (ACV). Programs are supported by 2022 Cultivating the Arts Platinum Sponsors Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Matchbox Realty, and Riner Rentals.

ACV is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts and connecting communities in the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since it was established in 2000, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters  innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists. Today, ACV manages Court Square Theater and Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program (awarding more than $436,000 since 2001), and coordinates monthly First Fridays of the Valley community gatherings.

ACV is supported in part by the City of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org.

Meet the Team

JP Gullas

J.P. Gulla

Managing Director of Court Square Theater

Britney Mongold

Britney Mongold

Head House Manager

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!