S.C. PRTM Grant to Update, Upgrade Home of Mill Town Players

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The Mill Town Players have been chosen for a $1 million South Carolina Parks and Tourism Management grant to help upgrade and repair the historic Pelzer Auditorium.

"We are incredibly grateful to S.C. Representative Anne Thayer, a long-time supporter of Mill Town Players, and to the state of South Carolina for recognizing the value in not only preserving this iconic, century-old auditorium, but also ensuring its life as a cultural center for modern audiences and future generations,” said Will Ragland, founder and artistic director for the Mill Town Players.

The funds will be used in conjunction with private funds to overhaul the auditorium, with greater accessibility, comfortable seating with more spacious aisles, new lighting and other improvements. Fundraising efforts are under way to complete funding for the project.

“The structural, safety, and lighting upgrades to the building's interior are long overdue, and the new seating will provide the accessibility that many of our patrons have been asking for and deserve,” said Ragland. “While Mill Town Players continues to be one of the most attended community theaters in the state, it's also one of the most affordable, making a renovation of this magnitude impossible to achieve on our own. As the sole tourism organization in the area, we look forward to attracting even more visitors to Pelzer with these upgrades and in turn benefiting our local economy."

Ragland founded the organization in 2014, and was honored this year with the South Carolina Theatre Association’s Founders’ Award.