Stover Theatre
Stover Theatre
History
Location
Current
Season
Photo Gallery
Stover Theatre Digital Archive
Supporting Cast
Theta Alpha
Phi/Florida Alpha Chapter
Contact
History
Although plays have been presented
at Stetson University since 1896, the first regular and complete season
took definite shape in 1906 in a program under the direction of
Professor A.L.L. Suhrie. Since that time, and especially with the
addition of Dr. Irving Stover to the faculty in 1908, over 700
productions have taken place, with student and sometimes community
participation. These include several dozen Shakespeare productions, a
significant number of original and/or presently unknown plays
(including some by former Stetson President Lincoln Hulley), as well as
other plays of more topical or educational interest.
Stover Theatre was completed in November 1930. Built at the persistent suggestion of Dr. Stover and through the fund-raising efforts of former Stetson president Dr. Hulley, it has enjoyed a reputation as the first university building raised specifically for the purpose of theatre production in Florida, and possibly in the South. The building was originally known as the Little Theatre, and in 1938 was re-named after Dr. Irving Stover at the behest of his students, who passionately advocated the change in his honor. This was the first time a building at Stetson had been named for an active member of the faculty.
The legacy of Dr. Stover
Dr. Stover was a prominent figure in the educational
theatre in the South, participating frequently in the Chautauqua
circuit and maintaining active memberships in innumerable community,
educational, and professional organizations. Among these, he helped
found the National Theatre Honorary Theta Alpha Phi, as well as the
Florida Speech Association (currently the Florida Communication
Association). By all accounts, Dr. Stover was a much-beloved teacher
and devoted to the advancement of the theatre profession. We honor his
legacy by example, through our academic program and production season.
Location
Stover Theatre is located at 535 N. Florida Avenue,
DeLand, FL, on the Stetson University campus. Florida Avenue is one
block West of US 17-92 (Woodland Blvd.), and the entrance to the grass
parking lot is between Minnesota and University Avenues.
Need a map?
The Stover Theatre Digital Archive
We are currently cataloguing and digitally processing
over one hundred years of photos, playbills, newspaper clippings, Theta
Alpha Phi scrapbooks, and other original materials. When complete, we
hope to make this archive accessible on the web as well as on DVD-ROM
to theatre scholars, alumni, and everyone else!
Stover Theatre Supporting
Cast
Stover Theatre’s Supporting Cast is a membership
group of patrons comprising alumni, parents, students, and neighbors
who recognize that financial support is the key to the success of
Stetson’s Theatre Program. Financial assistance enables the faculty,
students, and overall program to remain competitive with theatre
departments of other universities.
Stover Theatre Box Office
386-822-8700
Dr. Ken McCoy, Chair
Dept. of Communication Studies and Theatre Arts
Stetson University
421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8374
DeLand, FL 32723
386-822-7526
kmccoy at stetson.edu
Please address
praise, scorn, and other comments concerning the design of this and
other departmental web pages to Ken McCoy
Updated June 15, 2011
