The Baldwinsville Theatre Guild (BTG) is a long-standing community theater organization in Baldwinsville, New York. It is known for producing plays and musicals for audiences throughout Central New York and for providing opportunities for local actors, directors, and volunteers.

Founding (1942)

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The Baldwinsville Theatre Guild was founded in 1942 by Rosemary Sinnett Nesbitt, a Baldwinsville native who later became a drama professor at SUNY Oswego. Nesbitt graduated from Baldwinsville High School and went on to study theater at Syracuse University and later in England, where she studied the works of Shakespeare.

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Her vision was to create a community organization dedicated to producing quality theatrical productions and encouraging appreciation of the performing arts in the local community.

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Growth as a Community Theater

Since its founding, the guild has staged productions for more than 80 years, making it the oldest continually performing non-professional community theater group in New York State.

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Over the decades, the organization has:

• Produced a wide variety of plays, musicals, and classic works

• Provided performance and technical opportunities for community members

• Built one of the largest costume collections in the state for its productions.

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Community and Education

The guild has long focused on education and community engagement. One of its notable contributions is an annual scholarship program, awarded to area high school graduates since 1969 to support students interested in the arts.

 

In addition to mainstage productions, the organization also:

• Runs youth theater programs and camps

• Offers opportunities for volunteers in acting, stagecraft, and production

• Works to build appreciation for theater across the Central New York region.

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Home and Present Day

For more than two decades, the Baldwinsville Theatre Guild has staged many of its productions in the Education Center of the First Presbyterian Church in Baldwinsville, which serves as a home stage for the organization.  In 2025, BTG established a relationship with Grace Episcopal church which now serves as a home for meetings, rehearsals, costume storage, and small events.  BTG is grateful to both organizations for opening their doors to the arts in the Baldwinsville community.

 

Today, the guild continues to produce a seasonal lineup of plays and musicals while serving as a creative home for performers, technicians, and volunteers in the community.

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Baldwinsville Theatre Guild is designated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.