Sands Theater Center And Athens Theatre

Sands Theater Center Mission Statement
The purpose of Sands Theater Center, Inc. is to provide quality entertainment and cultural enrichment for the citizens of and the visitors to the Volusia County area: to offer live theater experiences and educational opportunities to students in the area schools at all grade levels; to provide a means of artistic expression for both serious artists and participants for whom theater is a vocation.

About

The Athens Theatre is one of the few existing examples of a classic American theatre in Central Florida. Once the centerpiece of DeLand, the Athens Theatre is a jewel of Italian Renaissance architecture. This historic theatre was designed in 1921 by prominent Orlando architect Murray S. King and first opened its doors on January 6th, 1922. On January 5th, 1922, the eve of the theater’s opening, the DeLand Daily News declared the Athens to be “Florida’s Handsomest Theatre” and “a gem of architecture”. Constructed primarily by DeLand craftsmen and laborers, the facility embodied the very best in design, construction, decoration and equipment. The theatre’s name was derived from the vision of DeLand’s founder, Henry DeLand, who sought to create a city that would be the “Athens of Florida”.