Old School House Theater

The Old School House Theater had a long history on Sanibel Island. The building was originally constructed in 1898 as one of two schools on Sanibel and was located on the corner of Bailey Road and Periwinkle Way. Later on, residents petitioned the location and had it moved to 1905 Periwinkle Way. In 1962 the schoolhouse was closed down when the Island built a larger school for residents on SanCap Road. A couple from the New York stage purchased the building, painted it pink and converted the inside to a 90-seat theater and named it the ‘Pirates’ Playhouse.’ They ran it for 18 years and created original plays where many well-known Sanibel residents were known to star in the productions. The owners built a new theater across the street from the Sanibel Community House in the late 80’s when there was a growing need for a larger theater. They sold the pink, Pirates’ Playhouse to a playwright from Captiva by the name of J.T. Smith who renamed it ‘The Old Schoolhouse Theater’. Smith kept the Old Schoolhouse Theater going until 2003 when he became ill and was no longer able to continue productions. The building was purchased by the Historical Preservation Committee and relocated to its current location at the Sanibel Historic Village. It was restored to its original state as a one-room school house. Make sure to plan a visit to the Historic Village while staying at the Island Inn to learn more about this and other historic buildings on the Islands!