Almost all towns, villages, and cities in Upstate New York have a community theatre group in their midst. From big cities like Buffalo, Albany, and Utica to smaller places like Oneonta and Cortland, reparatory theatre groups are all over our region putting on a show for all of us.

Here is a short list of 16 community theatre groups that are very active in Upstate New York. This is just a small representation of the more than 100 similar groups in the region. The thing that amazed me when compiling this list is the "legs" these organizations have had.  As you will see, some of these groups have been raising the curtain for 40, 60, and even 100 years! They range from smaller theatre groups that put on their shows in churches and storefronts, to larger ones that produce plays in civic centers, college buildings and private playhouses. Some even hold their performances in the great outdoors!

And if your local theatre group doesn't appear on this list, let us hear from you!  We applaud all of the groups, big and small. Wait, not only applaud you...but a standing ovation!

We love our region's larger play groups, like Capital Rep in Albany, or Syracuse Stage  Syracuse, but this shout out if for the smaller yet equally energetic theatre groups across Upstate.

In each of these 16 listings I have given you a tiny bit of history of each performing group as well as a link to their social media. I encourage you to visit those links to see what is playing this season with these groups. Whether it is a self-written play, a Broadway musical or a Shakespearean classic, they will all entertain you for sure.

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Almost every community, no matter the size, has a talented theatre group where local actors can "stretch and learn" the art of acting. Many have also learned the backstage ins and outs as technical support to these performances. Here are 16 of the hundreds of community theatre groups in the state that you can enjoy a live how at.

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