History of Court Square Theater

Rockingham Motor Company

Court Square Theater was once the home of The Rockingham Motor Company (RMC), operating as one of the premier car dealers in Downtown Harrisonburg from the 1920s through the 1970s. In 1998 at the start of the downtown revitalization, Court Square Theater was carved out of the existing building along with 3 other businesses. The architecture of the old RMC was kept intact, with outside RMC crests being preserved and duplicated on the inside of the theater. Elements from other Harrisonburg downtown business were also incorporated into the theater--the ticket box office came from the historic Kavanaugh hotel. Originally the Theater was named The Rockingham Theater to pay homage to the car company.

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In 1999 in collaboration with the Housing Authority, Community Members and local Businesses the Art's Council of the Valley was formed and operated the theater. It was at this time that the name was officially changed to Court Square Theater. The theater was home to many different types of shows from Bluegrass performers, film festivals, touring bands, plays and more. Things were booming in the theater until the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic hit and everything came to a halt. After some time thanks to a federal grant, the theater doors were able to reopen again and continued operation under the management of the Art's Council until December 2025.

The ACT ONE Education Program was born after a highly successful first summer of theater camps in 2022. Founded by arts educators J.P. Gulla and Leeanne Shepherd, the program began out of Court Square Theater, operated by the Arts Council of the Valley. From there, ACT ONE began to grow, offering year-round programming designed to foster a lifelong love of theater for participants of all ages.

In 2025, after a few years of successful musicals and camps, ACT ONE took its next big step—transitioning from an education program out of Court Square Theater and into its own theater company. The ACT ONE Theater Company, Inc. was officially incorporated in May of 2025 and is now an approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Upon the announcement of the end of the management of Court Square Theater by the Arts Council, ACT ONE reached out to HRHA with a plan to continue operational management of Court Square Theater for a transition year so the doors wouldn't be closed and programming that had been scheduled could continue.

Arts Council of the Valley

ACT ONE Theater Company, Inc.

In February of 2026 HRHA asked JMU to aid in creating listening session to hear what the community wanted to see for the future of the theater. Throughout this discussion one thing was clear. The thought of closing the theater doors for good was not an option for the community. They wanted to see a model in which the stage could again come alive with a variety of content. Many wanted to continue with the same traditions of movies, musical acts, touring musicians, and film. Fresh new ideas were requested in having opportunity for small ensembles and dance troupes to be able to perform along with providing continued space for community gathering.

This is where the collective model was born.

Our vision goes back to the roots of how the theater was originally started with our sole focus on revitalizing Court Square Theater. The Court Square Theater Collective was started in August 2026 with a Steering Committee. We are in the process of establishing a 501c3 to continue with the focus on embracing a true COMMUNITY theater operating model. ACT ONE theater company will continue managing the theater until June 30th 2027 at which time Court Square Theater Collective will take the reins. We look forward to working with the community, including continuing the productions that Act One currently operates out of Court Square Theater. We would also like to bring back some of the old programs and incorporate some fresh new ideas thanks to you, our community.