Mid City Civic Theatre moves into old Theatre Baton Rogue

The doors were open, and the lobby was filled with racks of costumes and boxes of props at 7155 Florida Blvd., once home to Theatre Baton Rouge.

Financial issues forced the 79-year-old community theater's closure in March after the run of its final production, "Xanadu," whose empty set still dominated the stage.

"The doors were locked, and everything was left as it was after the musical," Shannon Walsh said. "Now we're here to give it a good cleaning."

A new name

Walsh is board president for Mid City Civic Theatre, which will move into the building after the cleaning. The theater company isn't new but an extension of the former Theatre Baton Rouge.

"Though Theatre Baton Rouge closed, its nonprofit was still intact," Walsh said. "It operated under the name Baton Rouge Little Theater —