Panola Playhouse has been awarded a $240,000 grant for roof and other repairs by the Mississippi Arts Commission through the Building Fund of the Arts grant for FY2025. The announcement was made this week by state officials.

Panola Playhouse, located on Main Street in Sardis, had applied for the MAC funds several years in a row, and was finally chosen this year. The community theatre is an historical gem for Panola County and its directors produce several musicals and plays each year in addition to summer camp programs for area youth.

The Playhouse has been a venue for live community theatre since 1962, but from the 1920s to 1958, it was a first-run movie theater. It is one of the longest,

continually-running, live theatres in the state of Mississippi. 

The unique, 120 seat theatre has been host to hundreds of wonderful performances over the last 70 years.Each eason generally includes six productions, consisting of a variety of productions including comedies, dramas, children’s productions, and musicals.  

Patrons and supporters of the Playhouse have raised considerable funds that will be used for matching requirements in coming renovations.

The MAC awards for the upcoming year totaled $3.5 million to 20 organizations in 13 counties. The funding opportunity provided through the BFA grant supports the much-needed repair, renovation, expansion, or construction of Mississippi facilities that serve as sites for year-round arts programming in their communities.

“MAC is thrilled to support these vital building projects that enhance the arts and our communities in Mississippi,” said David Lewis, executive director of MAC. “Through this grant, we showcase our state’s commitment to our rich artistic heritage by investing in the spaces that foster the growth of our next great Mississippi artists, while providing enriched quality of life for Mississippians throughout our state.”

MAC received 41 letters of intent, with $7 million requested to fund BFA projects in Mississippi. A panel of arts, design/architectural, financial, and economic development experts ranked the submissions based on artistic quality, project plan, project professionals, organizational capacity, and project impact.

Some of the other awards to arts organizations through the BFA grant included:

Ballet Mississippi (Madison) – awarded $480,000 to renovate performance and practice studios.

Brookhaven Little Theatre (Lincoln) – awarded $25,200 to repair the roof and install air conditioning.

City of Meridian (Lauderdale) – awarded $332,670 to make ADA improvements to the Meridian Museum of Art.

City of Ocean Springs (Jackson) – awarded $291,000 to stabilize the exterior and repair the interior of the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center.

Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life (Adams) awarded $168,400 for plaster repair, repainting, and rewiring in the historic Temple B’nai Israel.

New Albany Main Street (Union) – awarded $26,430 to update the Magnolia Theatre with a new sound system and make aesthetic improvements.