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TN Music Pathways - Roxy Regional Theatre

100 Franklin Street, Clarksville, TN 37040

(931) 645-7699

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In November 2020, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Visit Clarksville honored the Roxy Regional Theatre with a Tennessee Music Pathways marker. The Roxy has been the cornerstone of entertainment in Clarksville since the early 1900s. What was initially The Lillian, built in 1931, served as the city’s first movie theatre. After two fires and a dark period during the Great Depression, the theatre was rebuilt in 1947 and became the Roxy of today with a sleek interior and new neon lighting. The Roxy entertained Clarksvillians with first-run movies until 1980. After sitting vacant for three years, The Roxy Regional Theatre opened for live theatre in 1983. In 1995, a professional company was created to supply the great demand for Shakespeare, other classics, school curriculum-based productions and holiday shows, and to enlarge the Roxy’s outreach services to the community. The Roxy Regional School of the Arts was also born in 1995 and has since then offered some 850 teens extensive training in modern theatre and the opportunity to work alongside professionals. Over the decades, more than 500 productions and more than 2,000 actors and musicians have graced the Roxy’s stage. The building has also served as a backdrop for music videos for artists like Sheryl Crow and Craig Morgan. “The Roxy is iconic in our community,” said Mayor Joe Pitts. “It separates our community from so many others and we’re so grateful to have them here. We believe in performing arts and there’s nothing more important in our community that being Art City USA. We have an abiding interest in making sure this is preserved, not only as a building and a façade and a marquee, but as an institution because that’s what separates us.” Tennessee Music Pathways connects visitors to the people, places and genres that make Tennessee the Soundtrack of America. A statewide driving tour, the Pathways represents hundreds of landmarks across the state and spans seven genres of music: blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly and rock 'n' roll. In addition to the Roxy Regional Theatre and Charlie Cushman, Montgomery County’s designees include Dunbar Cave State Park, Clarence Cameron White, and Jimi Hendrix.