Mill Mountain Theatre's 50 years of service to the Roanoke community and to the statewide arts community has been recognized by the Virginia General Assembly.

A resolution adopted by the 2014 General Assembly was presented today by State Sen. John Edwards of Roanoke.  MMT Board President Cynthia Lawrence accepted the accolade on behalf of several current and former members of the Theatre's Board of Directors.

"This recognition by state legislators has been earned by many years of creative work and generations of actors, supporters and friends who have valued what Mill Mountain Theatre has given its community," Lawrence said.  "We accept the resolution as a challenge for decades more of stellar work."

The citation notes the theatre's beginnings in 1964 as Roanoke Summer Theatre with performances in a former inn atop Mill Mountain.  When the building was destroyed by a fire, the company moved temporarily to the Grandin Theatre and, in 1983, became the anchor organization of Center in the Square.  Adopting a new name, Mill Mountain Theatre affiliated with Actors' Equity Association of New York and began a year-round schedule of productions.

With more than 400 productions to its credit, MMT today is a cornerstone of the Roanoke region's cultural infrastructure, attracting about 17,000 patrons a year to live stage performances and nearly 300 students to its MMT Conservatory classes.

The non-profit organization is supported by grants, underwriting and donations from a loyal base of patrons. It is a peer organization recognized for top-level evaluations and funding by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and local government support.