Est. 1956 · Daytona Beach Community Arts · Volusia County Theatre History · Halifax River Cultural Corridor
The organization that became the Daytona Playhouse gathered in January 1947, officially chartered as the Daytona Beach Little Theatre in 1948. For its first years it performed in borrowed spaces — schools, recreation halls, and a repurposed chapel — before raising funds for a dedicated building.
A fire on March 14, 1951 destroyed the group's first permanent location, taking four years of accumulated sets, costumes, and scripts. The company relocated briefly to the Princess Issena Hotel theatre on Seabreeze Boulevard, then in 1954 acquired a lot along the Halifax River and began a capital campaign. The new building was dedicated March 25, 1956, featuring a 299-seat auditorium, a fly loft, an orchestra pit, and a fully equipped stage. The opening production, Sabrina Fair, ran April 1, 1956.
The organization adopted the name Daytona Playhouse in 1968 to reflect its expanded artistic scope. Significant renovations in 2015–2016 added ADA accessibility improvements, and additional facility expansion followed in the 2023–2024 season. The theatre continues to operate year-round, staging a mix of comedies, dramas, and musicals. A September–October 2009 investigation by the six-member Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group produced the most formally documented account of anomalous activity at the site.
Sources
- https://daytonaplayhouse.org/our-history
- https://www.floridahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/daytona-playhouse.html
- https://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0722/2007027623.html
ApparitionsAudio anomaliesCold spotsOrbs in photographsElectronic anomalies
The haunting tradition at the Daytona Playhouse is built around two figures whose story is oral-tradition rather than verified historical record. Alice Beckwith and Andre Doern are said to have lived together in the house that previously occupied the theatre's lot. According to the narrative: Andre went to Spain in the 1930s to fight in the civil war, unaware that Alice was pregnant. In his absence Alice fell into a severe depression and drowned herself in the Halifax River. Andre was killed in Spain before learning what happened. Neither figure has been confirmed in documentary sources; the story circulates primarily through paranormal aggregator sites and tour guides.
What is documented is the 2009 investigation by the Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group, a six-member team that investigated the building in September and October of that year. The group concluded that paranormal activity exists at the location. Among the findings reported: audio tape captured unusual noises; investigators saw apparent figures in the director's booth when it should have been empty; orb shapes appeared in photographs; and sudden chilling sensations were experienced in multiple areas of the building. The specific recordings and methodology have not been published in a peer-reviewed format, but the investigation is consistently cited in Daytona-area paranormal literature.
Staff and volunteers who work late in the building report sensing the presence of the two figures during rehearsals, describing them as watching from the back of the house or from backstage — an active rather than hostile haunting, in the local telling.
Notable Entities
Alice BeckwithAndre Doern
