Upon taking possession of the Athens Theatre, The Sands Theater Center took over the project of restoring the historic vaudeville theatre to its original splendor. On January 6, 2009, the theatre’s 87th birthday, the Athens Theatre re-opened its doors.
For over seventy years, the Athens was the social and entertainment center for this area. Oral history ‘memories’ have been documented and collected from the Vaudeville era of the 1920’s to the Athens’ dinner theater days of the late seventies. The importance of the Athens in the lives of these ‘historians’ is undeniable as the theater served as a backdrop for their lives and the events that shaped the Twentieth Century from the Great Depression and World War ll, to the decades of change which followed. The stories link the Athens not only with Volusia County’s history, but to the evolution of entertainment and “show business,” and to issues of greater cultural significance such as race and class stratification. Today, the theatre now houses live theatrical productions produced by the Athens Theatre Company, Athens Youth Academy workshops and summer camps, live concerts, occasional movies, dance performances, and acts as a rental facility for outside organizations, local artists, and Central Florida residents to hold performances, movies, fundraisers, parties, and more!
