Far from the bright lights of New York's Broadway or Dallas' Majestic Theater there are any number of top quality community theaters located throughout East Texas.
Productions range from the over-the-top Man of La Mancha or the hauntingly funny Driving Miss Daisy to Steel Magnolias or lesser known plays.
Even the venues range from great sound systems to those more pedestrian but no matter the seating or venue, community theater is as much a celebration of art as it is the opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy live theater at a fraction of the cost expected in larger cities.
Mineola's Lake Country Playhouse is actually the longest continuous playing movie theater in Texas, playing first run movies on the same weekends they open in major cities.
The theater is aging in years only, having been modernized over the years with up to date seating and digital image projection as well as sound.
When movies are not on the screen, there are live theater productions or other forms of entertainment, such as appearances by the East Texas Men in Music, a highly ranked barbershop chorus that is made up of men from across East Texas.
For more information about live theater simply Google your favorite East Texas community and see if they have a theater organization or click on one of the few we know of off-hand below.
Lake Country Playhouse and Select Theater (Mineola, Texas)
Lindale Community Theater (Lindale, Texas)
Quitman Community Theater (Quitman, Texas)
Holly Lake Ranch Community Theater (Holly Lake Ranch, Texas)
Tyler Civic Theatre Center (Tyler, Texas)
The Main Street Theatre (Sulphur Springs, Texas)