The City of Apalachicola also helped the project along. But more surprises awaited Partington. Their decision reconnected the city with its cultural past. Newspaper accounts show that Apalachicola boasted drama productions during the cotton boom of the 1830s and 1840s, and before the Dixie Theatre opened, the Dreamland Theatre stood at the corner of Market Street and Avenue D downtown. But in an era dominated by TV, movies and video games, the Partington's believe they have something even more special to offer audiences.
People have to get used to it - they have to taste it.
It's a wonderfully exciting thing. And Partington said his experience with touring companies in small towns taught him some lessons about introducing theater to new places. Invariably, it would be a comedy, and you'd get no laughs. And after the show was over, people would secretly tell you they could hardly keep from laughing. But they didn't want to embarrass themselves.