The Santa Fe Community Theatre or Santa Fe Playhouse was organized in 1918 by writer Mary Austin in association with the Women’s Club of the Museum of New Mexico. The first performance was in 1919. The organization operated as the Santa Fe Players and was incorporated in 1922. In 1939 they merged with the Santa Fe Little Theater, and in 1955 started doing business as the Santa Fe Community Theatre . Over the years performances have been held in the St. Francis auditorium, the Rialto Theater on Lincoln Avenue, and the El Parian Analco Theatre on College Street. In 1962 the Santa Fe Community Theatre rented a remodeled adobe barn on East De Vargas Street, which was later purchased by the organization. The Santa Fe Community Theatre is now doing business as the Santa Fe Playhouse . Over the years the Santa Fe Community Theatre, a nonprofit corporation, has performed a variety of plays and musicals, including the Fiesta Melodramas starting in 1922. The collection consists of history, organizational and financial matters, plays and melodramas materials, and scrapbooks, with the majority of the material from the 2nd half of the 20th century.
From the guide to the Santa Fe Community Theatre Collection, 1919-2002, (New Mexico History Museum, Fray Angélico Chávez History Library)
