In late 2025, Tyrone Butler slipped into the newly finished 142-seat theater adjoining the Augusta Mini Theatre and sat in one of the padded seats for a quiet moment alone.
“It dawned on me –‘Wow, what have we done?’” said Butler who founded the mini theater 50 years ago in October 1975 and worked side-by-side with Judith Simon Butler and Earnestine Robinson for decades to build and operate the program. Read more about the program’s history here.
The grand opening celebration for the new building will feature multiple events during the weekend of Jan. 16-18, the weekend of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
As he sat in awe of the completed space on that recent day, emotions welled up.
“I had this warm watery feeling and thought ‘you’ve done something important that will be here after you,’” he said.
Events kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony and short program at 5 p.m. Jan. 16., followed by tours of the art school and life skills center that opened in 2008.
Saturday, Jan. 17 will feature a reception for donors who will also be the first to see a newly penned play that highlights the history of the organization. Called “Once In a Lifetime: (It was All a Dream, Now a Reality)”, the play was written by Butler and directed by Judith Simon Butler.
It will also be a homecoming for alumni who will be part of a stroll to introduce themselves, highlight their involvement in the mini theater and give an update on what they are doing now.
Also on Jan. 17, Sherica Hall will sing “Home” from “The Wiz”. In 1995, the Augusta Mini Theatre did a performance of “The Wiz” at the Bell Auditorium. They brought in a director for the show, who cast Hall as Dorothy.
“We didn’t even know she could sing,” said Butler. “She did a wonderful job.”
Now, her children are involved at the Augusta Mini Theatre.
Butler said tickets to the Jan. 17 gala performance would first be available to donors who had contributed $500 or more to the capital campaign, then to the general public. They are $50.
The weekend will end with a 3 p.m. Jan. 18 performance of the new play. Tickets for the Jan. 18 show are $25 general admission and $15 for students. Go to augustaminitheatre.org or call (706) 722-0598 for information.
Butler envisions the theater as being a place for not only his performing arts school students to do shows, but for the community to use as well. He’s already had people reach out about possible shows, and he is considering a summer concert series and bringing in bands to play on weekends.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
