The Tennessee Theatre Association was founded in 1968 with the aid of a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Two hundred and thirty-five people from every part of Tennessee met in Crossville on September 7 and 8 for the first conference, and the late Paul Crabtree was elected the first president.

Over the years the purpose of the organization has remained the same: the promotion of the highest standards of theatre throughout the State of Tennessee. To accomplish that purpose, the Association serves as a vehicle for communication through its newsletters and through its annual convention.

It provides members with workshops, programs and seminars and with the opportunity to meet, work with and learn from each other as well as from invited theatre professionals from other states. TTA also serves as a liaison between Tennessee, regional, and national theatre organizations.

TTA and Theatre News 2011 Fall Newsletter, "Focus", is now online (9/26/11) Our quarterly newsletter, "Focus" is now available to be downloaded in PDF format. Download it here. 1st Annual Clayton Center Community Theatre Festival (7/19/11) In a collaboration, rare if not unique, theatre groups from five counties are joining their talent and theatrical production mastery in a feast of musicals, plays, and revues. Hamblem, Knox, Blount, Anderson, and McMinn Counties are bringing or supporting productions to the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, TN August 5-7 in the first annual Clayton Center Community Theatre Festival. In the space of three days, people who are devoted to theatre will be able to view up to five plays in the remarkable and varied performance spaces of East Tennessee's newest and most elaborate arts center. (Read More) TTA CONFERENCE 2011 Special Guest Announced (5/30/11) The Tennessee Theatre Association is proud to announce Adriane Lenox will be the special guest for this years conference. Adriane Lenox won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Featured Actress in a Play award for her role in John Patrick Shanley's hit play Doubt and was featured as Matron in the 1996 Revival of Chicago. Adrian played the biological mother of football star Michael Oher in the 2009 film The Blind Side and appeared in NBC's hit comedy, 30 Rock. She is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and is a graduate of Lambuth University in Jackson. TTA 24 Hour/Ten-Minute Play Festival (5/30/11) Want to create an entire 10-minute play in just 24 hours? Here is your chance! Playwrights, directors, stage managers, actors and technicians will take part in the writing, staging, rehearsing and performing of the ten-minute plays. As a participant, you should consider which area you wish to be your primary area of participation although it is assumed that each group will work as a team to create their presentation. (Read Full Details) Conference 2011 Page is Online (05/30/11) The Official Page for TTA Conference 2011 in Dickson, TN is now online. Forms are available for download for General Membership, Conference Attendance and Festival Participation. Read the Archives