PROFESSOR WILLIAM RAYMOND TAYLOR, in 1947, succeeded in founding Parkway Playhouse, originally known as Burnsville Playhouse, Inc. and School of Dramatic Arts, the first of its kind in the South. A professor of English at Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (WCUNC) in Greensboro, he not only took on the arduous task of planning the courses of study for the new venture, but he planned the complete conversion of the old Burnsville High School gymnasium into a well equipped theatre. Because of his knowledge of the many fields connected with the theatrical profession, he became widely recognized as an authority, and he served as consultant on theatre and stage design for many architects.

Photo and text taken from the book by Hope Bailey:
History of a Western North Carolina Summer Theatre
PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE
Supplement to Volume I
The First Twenty-five Years
1947 through 1971
Available in our loby.

More Historical photos and facts coming soon....