June 24, 2014 admin

Harrell Theatre

The Harrell Performing Arts Theatre

The Collierville Arts Council was formed as a fundraising organization to finish the Harrell Performing Arts Theatre.  When the Community Center/Harrell Theatre complex was built in 1984, the theatre was an empty shell.  Within three years, the funds were secured and the theatre opened in 1987.  The focus of the Council was then shifted to underwrite the productions presented at the Harrell Theatre.

A substantial donation was made by Milton and Joan Harrell Schaeffer, daughter and son-in-law of Charles Herbert Harrell. Without that donation in memory of her father, Charles Herbert Harrell, The Harrell Performing Arts Theatre would not exist.
Charles Herbert Harrell was a great man. He was a doughboy during WWI in France.
He was an educator, the principal of Collierville High School, and had a great appreciation for the Arts. The colors of CHS used to be black and gold. Charles Herbert Harrell changed them to maroon and white when he became principal. He attended Mississippi State, and that’s where he got the colors. For more information go to Old Collierville, Inc. on Facebook.

The Harrell Performing Arts Theatre, through The Collierville Arts Council, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in performing, musical and visual arts.  Our goal is to be an expression of the community’s talents and to promote the arts to all citizens of the Town and surrounding area.

Since 1987 the Arts Council has presented over 150 productions at the Harrell Performing Arts Theatre, which is owned and operated by the Town of Collierville. The productions include: Little Women, Twelve Angry Men, Grease. The Nutcracker, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Oliver, The Miracle Worker, The King and I, Big River, The Sound of Music, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Music Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Crucible, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Elephant Man, High School Musical I and II Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Titanic and many others. The Arts Council has sponsored “The Symphony in the Rose Garden”, a premiere Collierville event featuring the Germantown Symphony Orchestra for 10 years and we now have another fun event, Arts in the Alley each fall.

The Arts Council hopes the Harrell Performing Arts Theatre and other artistic endeavors will continue to be an expression of the Town’s talents, values, resources and aspirations for many generations to come.

VOLUNTEER WITH US: We are always looking for people to be on our Collierville Arts Council Board. We meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 5:30 in the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts conference room. If you are interested feel free to contact us at colliervilleartscouncil@gmail.com. We are also looking for folks who would like to usher at our shows or even help backstage. Feel free to contact us and we can give you the details on how you can help out. I have added our board application form below. 

CAC New Member Form

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