Black River Playhouse
The Black River Playhouse has been the home of the Chester Theatre Group since November 1965. Located at Grove Street in Chester Borough, it is a 104 seat theater-in-the-round which possesses a charming intimacy actively involving audiences and actors alike. When purchased in ’65, the theatre was then serving as the Chester Borough Hall. Prior to that, the 140 year old structure had been a country church. The purchase took place at a public auction at which time CTG paid $6,000 for the building. These funds were raised primarily through private donations to the group. Other contributions in terms of materials and manpower enabled CTG to convert the structure to a workable theatre. The original seats were purchased from the New York World’s Fair. The audience is arranged in three elevated rows on all four sides providing an all around excellent view of the 14′ x 20′ stage. The physical plant also includes a small lobby, dressing rooms, a control booth and two large storage sheds.
