The playhouse had its origins in the town-and-gown legacy of
Shimer College, located at that time in Mount Carroll. Students, faculty members and their families, plus business and professional leaders from across 6 counties in northwestern Illinois, also 2 more in eastern Iowa, responded to planning and start-up enlistment by Andrew Bro, the college's chaplain and
theatre director, and by Donald Mackay, owner of the Timber Lake properties and constructor of the reservoir. the theatre's opening night arrived on June 28, 1962, and eight more performances of
Teahouse of the August Moon ensued. The original playhouse building was destroyed by fire in the early morning of July 22, 1974, shortly after a sold-out showing of
Under the Gaslight. It was replaced by the current structure. In 2013, the company announced the first regional production of the Monty Python musical adaptation
Spamalot. The company secured the rights in 2012, but was not allowed to announce this fact until May 2013. ==References==