» By CONOR SCRUTON – [email protected]

I’ve traveled to quite a few new places for this column, as well as some more well-known, but I couldn’t call myself a true Clarksvillian if I didn’t make at least one trip to the Roxy.

The Roxy Regional Theatre is located at 100 Franklin St. at the corner of Franklin and First Street.

It dates back to 1912, when it was the first movie theatre in Clarksville. After several periods of inactivity and two fires, the Roxy was eventually rebuilt and reopened in 1983 as Clarksville’s only professional theatre.

If you haven’t been to the Roxy before, you should make an effort to go in the near future.

Aside from being a true Clarksville landmark, it’s one of the biggest hallmarks of culture the city has to offer and the shows are usually fantastic.

They have operated with a professional acting company since 1995, and it shows in the quality of their productions.

Having grown up in a theatrical family, I was really impressed with how well the Roxy produced classical plays, including Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” last year and “The Winter’s Tale” this season.

It isn’t easy to act in these shows — nonetheless connect with an audience — but the Roxy’s actors pulled them off incredibly well.

Even readers not so partial to Shakespeare should look at the Roxy’s season, as they always offer an eclectic blend of shows.

In the next month alone, you can see a Civil War drama (“The Red Badge of Courage”), a Tony award-winning musical (“Spring Awakening”), and a stage interpretation of a classic children’s show (“Schoolhouse Rock Live!”).

Despite having a legitimate theatre company, the Roxy makes a point to offer shows to cater to the entire community, as well.

A word of advice, though: It’s usually a good idea to book tickets ahead of time. I tried to go see “Gross Indecency” this weekend, as my roommate said the show was fantastic. Also, I figured I should actually go to the Roxy when I was writing about it, even though I had been several times before.

As you may have guessed, the last show was sold out by the time I arrived.

The moral of this story is you should go to the Roxy’s website at roxyregionaltheatre.org and look up their season ahead of time. Their calendar currently lists all shows through the end of the summer, and with the popularity of some shows, you can never get your tickets too early.

The Roxy is truly a place you have to experience while you’re living in Clarksville, and you won’t be disappointed. TAS