About Athens Theatre (Sands Theatre Center, Inc.)
“As the heart of Historic Downtown DeLand, the Athens Theatre is committed to opening the curtain to our diverse community for enrichment, education, and entertainment through inclusive, equitable, and extraordinary theatrical experiences.“
For 100 years, the Athens Theatre has been the social and entertainment center for this area. Oral history ‘memories’ have been documented and collected from the Vaudeville era of the 1920s to the Athens’ dinner theater days of the late seventies. The importance of Athens Theatre in the lives of these ‘historians’ is undeniable as the theater served as a backdrop for their lives and the events that shaped the Twentieth Century from the Great Depression and World War ll, to the decades of change that followed. The stories link the Athens not only with Volusia County’s history but to the evolution of entertainment and “show business,” and to issues of greater cultural significance such as race and class stratification. Today, the theater now houses live theatrical productions produced by the Athens Theatre Company, Athens Youth Academy workshops and summer camps, live concerts, occasional movies, dance performances, and acts as a rental facility for outside organizations, local artists, and Central Florida residents to hold performances, movies, fundraisers, parties, and more!