Phoenix Theatre is turning 100 this year, making it one of the oldest theater companies in the West. And, to mark that centennial, they are embracing a new name — the Phoenix Theatre Company.

Today, the company is one of the leading employers of actors, artists and technicians in the state. But in the early 1900s, the company, known as the Phoenix Little Theatre, wasn’t so big.

It operated out of the carriage house on the Heard family’s property, where they used ice blocks and fans to keep the audience cool.

For more on this, the theater’s managing director Vincent VanVleet gave The Show a tour of the company’s three theaters, starting with their main stage.

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