Get your Tickets Today!

Don't miss a single performance. Get your Tickets Today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History

In 1997 New Venture Theatre (originally Eden Park Theatre) started out as a program created by the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center to help bring the arts to the inner city. Elliott C. Baham and Greg Williams Jr. both saw an artistic need in their community and understood how the arts could have a positive effect, as well as be a wonderful addition to the community center; therefore, they agreed to run Eden Park Theatre and help get its first production off the ground.

By its third year Eden Park Theatre had outgrown the community center and started to meet the needs of the entire city. In 1999 they agreed to direct the play Pollyanna with an all African-American cast of over 75 actors. The success of this production helped manifest to everyone that there was a powerful need for an organization to promote artistic diversity in the city of Baton Rouge, La.

In 2000, Eden Park Theatre changed its name to The Creative Company of Louisiana and went on to direct several shows including Jelly’s Last Jam, Into the Woods (multi-racial cast), Little Shop of Horrors, and Aida. As Creative Company continued to grow Greg Williams, Jr. believed that the organization should continue to promote diversity through arts but on a much larger scale.

In 2007, Creative Company of Louisiana became New Venture Theatre, to reflect the mission and vision of the organization. Since our beginning in 1997 New Venture Theatre has worked with over 500 actors of all races, social classes, and backgrounds. We have partnered with several other local minority organizations helping them with artistic programming. New Venture Theatre has enjoyed working with a diverse group of artists and is looking forward to the new ventures ahead of us.