"You Can't Take It With You", Hurst

Like many successful recipes, Artisan Center Theater was born in a dining room. In 2002 the founders—all volunteers—staged their first show, Steel Magnolias, at an Italian restaurant. It was so successful that it heralded the establishment of regular programming, a move into a new theater space, and the hiring of a full-time staff. After several more moves, the company stuck with its food theme and found a permanent home inside a former pizzeria.

Each year, Artisan rewards audiences with a full lineup of musicals and classic plays on three stages—the Main Stage, the Second Stage, and the Children's Theater. In that last space, guests of all ages can immerse themselves inside the worlds of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Miracle Worker, and Charlotte's Web while nurturing the seeds of appreciation in stage craft. And all three arms of the theater keep their focus on the community by regularly holding auditions to fill their key roles.