Circle Theatre

Circle Theatre seeks to inspire, educate, and entertain the general theatre-going public. Founded by Rose Pearson and Bill Newberry in 1981, the Theatre's name is derived from its original location on Bluebonnet Circle. An interim move to Fort Worth's historic Southside took place in 1987. Seven years later, Circle renovated and moved into its present home, the basement space of the Sanger Building in Fort Worth's Sundance Square entertainment district. As a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) with Actors' Equity, Circle Theatre is committed to providing employment for artists pursuing careers in Texas. The main stage season consists of five productions and Circle's shows are often regional premieres, or second, or third staging's of new scripts. The Theatre sponsors an annual High School Playwriting Project, which ends with a public presentation by experienced actors reading finalist scripts by area students. With the recent passing of Circle's co-founders, the transition of leadership has focused on sustaining and elevating the Theatre's artistic integrity. Circle remains dedicated to crafting work that makes our audiences laugh, cry, and converse with each other once the play is over.

Our Needs

Circle Theatre requests funding support for general operating and production expenses. In today's current economy, arts funding in the government and private sectors is diminishing daily. It is extremely difficult to find new funding sources. Without financial support, it will be difficult to keep Circle Theatre solvent and able to provide a wage for professional theatre artists. The Theatre maintains a conservative financial position in order to raise enough income to operate debt-free. Despite healthy single and season ticket sales, Circle needs to raise 40% of our budget from unearned income.