Center Stage Theatre (CST) has been entertaining Wayne County and beyond for longer than many people realize. Established in 1978, CST first found a home in Goldsboro Parks and Recreation’s Herman Park Center (HPC), which had opened that year.

In 1993, the newly renovated Paramount Theatre opened and CST began to perform musicals there while smaller plays were still performed at HPC. In February 2005, the Goldsboro community suffered a great loss when fire destroyed the Paramount. Many CST members lined Center Street the morning after the fire in disbelief. CST scrambled to find other venues to perform, and the entertainment lived on in venues like Goldsboro High School, Dillard Middle School, the Wayne County Museum, and Moffat Auditorium at Wayne Community College. Thankfully, the newly reconstructed Paramount Theatre reopened in February 2008, bigger and better than ever, and CST presented its first performance in the brand new venue in April of 2008 with I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

After a season of presenting productions at smaller venues due to higher costs, CST returned in strength to the Paramount in December of 2009 with A Christmas Carol. For ten years, this annual holiday tradition, performed every December, was a fitting tribute to CST’s very first production in 1978; Mr. Scrooge. CST also provides daytime performances of select productions to public, private, and home school students at a low cost to help provide theatrical and literary enrichment and education.

Center Stage Theatre is a wonderful all-ages community theatre organization with a great sense of togetherness. Parents have watched their children grow on stage. Those new to the Goldsboro area often find it an excellent way to meet new friends with similar interests. Many years of hard work have gone into the success of CST with the hope of continuing for

many years to come.