Chartered in 1983, the Marshall County Community Theatre performed at Marshall County High School, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Marshall County Courthouse, Fountain Square restaurant, and other venues before settling into the Dixie Theatre. Lavish musical productions such as Sound of Music, Oliver, and Grease as well as smaller, more intimate shows like Steel Magnolias and Lost in Yonkers and Christmas concerts featuring music from Messiah to Amy Grant’s Christmas have entertained large audiences and provided opportunities for hundreds of Marshall Countians to showcase their acting and singing talents.

The mission of the Marshall County Community Theatre is “to further theatrical appreciation in Marshall County and surrounding areas by encouragement of individual theatrical training, promotion of personal theatrical enjoyment, and enrichment and entertainment of public audiences.” The purchase of the Dixie provided a permanent home for MCCT and provided “a building to be used by the greatest number of persons in the community for the most reasonable cost to enhance the culture, commerce, and education of Marshall County.”

The MCCT flourished in 1994 with the purchase of the Dixie Theatre from the Boyd family for $55,000. The Dixie had operated as a movie theater at its present location on the north side of the square from 1936 until 1985 when competition from neighboring multiplexes closed its doors. After extensive renovations funded from generous community contributions and grants, the seating was reduced from 750 to 299 to make room for an enlarged stage, dressing rooms, and sound and lighting booths. The public got its first look at the changes at the opening show, Broadway at the Dixie, on July 14, 1995. In 2002, with the generous donations of Robert Walker and Don Wright, work began on the Walker-Wright Wing, an annex at the end of the alley, which added space for performers, props, and sets. The Dixie has hosted recitals, charity benefits, club events, beauty pageants, talent shows, business meetings, school inservice, and other non-profit events as well as notable performers from outside the county including the Nashville Symphony to supplement its productions.

In 1998 the MCCT expanded opportunities for performers with the addition of the Children’s Division to feature first through twelfth graders. The Children’s Community Choir was added in 2004.