TIMELINE

1964	Actors, Incorporated and Theatre Louisville merge under the title Actors Theatre of Louisville. They perform in a small loft on Fourth Street, and later move to an abandoned Illinois Central Train Station.
1965	Alexander Speer, current executive director, begins his tenure.
1966	Actors Associates, a service-oriented volunteer group, is formed.
1969	Jon Jory is appointed producing director. He makes his directorial debut with Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood.
1972	Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is the final production in the Illinois Central Train Station home. A new complex opens in the old Bank of Louisville building, a National Historic Landmark, on Main Street with the 637-seat Pamela Brown Auditorium.
1973	The 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre opens.
1974	Actors Theatre is designated the State Theatre of Kentucky.
1976	First Festival of New American Plays is presented with D.L. Coburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Gin Game and John Orlock’s Indulgences in the Louisville Harem.
1979	The Humana Foundation begins underwriting the New Play Festival, now called the Humana Festival of New American Plays.
1979	Actors Theatre receives the Margo Jones Award for the Encouragement of New Plays and the Shubert Foundation’s James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of Professional Theatre.
1980	Shorts Festival is added to the New Play Program.
1980	A Special Tony Award is presented to honor Actors Theatre as an outstanding nonprofit resident theatre.
1980	Actors Theatre becomes a major international company when it launches a tour to Yugoslavia, Ireland and Israel.
1985	First Brown-Forman Classics in Context Festival celebrates the life and works of Molière.
1989	First National Ten-Minute Play Contest becomes part of the New Play Program.
1989	The biennial Bingham Signature Shakespeare is inaugurated.
1991	The Development Board, a group of young professionals, is established to build a new generation of audiences.
1993	Avant-garde solo and small ensemble pieces are presented in the Flying Solo and Friends Festival.
1994	A $12.5 million expansion and renovation project includes the new 318-seat Bingham Theatre, a flexible arena theatre, and enlargement of the Pamela Brown Auditorium and the Victor Jory Theatre. Lobbies, ticket sales area, restroom facilities and restaurant are expanded, and a nine-level parking garage is added.
1996	The Humana Festival of New American Plays celebrates 20th Anniversary.
2000	Jon Jory retires from Actors Theatre to assume a teaching position with the School of Drama at the University of Washington.
2000	Marc Masterson is appointed artistic director.
2002	Education Department established.
2005	Acquisition of a new 45,000 square foot production studio, greatly expanding space available for set design and construction as well as storage for scenery and properties.
2006	Humana Festival of New American Plays celebrates its 30th anniversary, with over 300 productions representing the works of more than 200 playwrights.
2006	Alexander Speer retires as Executive Director after 40 seasons of service. Actors Theatre announces the Alexander Speer Fund for the Advancement of Arts Administration in honor of his contributions to theatre nationally and locally. The West Market administrative building is renamed the Alexander Speer Arts and Commerce Building. Jennifer Bielstein joins the Actors Theatre leadership team as Managing Director.