Founded in 1932 as Austin Civic Theatre, ZACH Theatre is the longest continuously running theatre company in the state of Texas, and one of the ten oldest in the country. The company was renamed Zachary Scott Theatre Center in 1968 in honor of Austin-raised, Academy Award-nominated film star, Zachary Scott, best known for his popular films Mildred Pierce (1945) and Cass Timberlane (1947). In 1972, the 230-seat Kleberg Theatre opened, and in the late 1980’s ZACH embarked on a successful capital campaign to build the Whisenhunt Theatre, a new 130-seat theatre-in-the-round, classroom, administrative offices and costume shop space. In the early 1990’s ZACH moved to professional status with Actors’ Equity Association and was selected for a National Endowment for the Arts Advancement Grant. In 2012, the 420-seat Topfer Theatre opened, presenting Ahrens and Flaherty’s Ragtime, the opening production of the 2012-2013 DREAM Season. The new LEED-certified facility houses a proscenium stage with orchestra pit, fly tower, trapped floor, stage automation, and adjustable acoustics; donor lounge, and sever art pieces commissioned for the venue—all ushering in a new era of theatre producing for Austin and ZACH.