By Joshua Robison / The Jambar
Located in Niles, Trumbull New Theatre is a volunteer-run theater that has been performing for the community since January 1948. TNT originated out of a Young Women’s Christian Association study group chapter, led by founder Frances Pendleton.
According to the TNT’s WordPress page, the first TNT theatrical production took place in May 1948 in Pendleton’s living room with a budget of $60. During the theater’s first nine years, it travelled and performed in church auditoriums across the Mahoning Valley. In May 1955, the group purchased land on Youngstown-Warren Road for $3,750, where TNT stands today.
TNT is currently in the middle of its 2025-26 theatrical season. The season opened Sept. 5 with a showing of the 1960s comedy “Boeing Boeing.” Josh Crank, TNT board member, Youngstown State University alumni and director of “Boeing Boeing,” said the show was a great start to the season.
“We started off with a really good show, ‘Boeing Boeing.’ It was very profitable. It was very popular,” Crank said. “We got great reviews in the Tribune [Chronicle] and really started our season off the right way.”
The season will continue with its next show, “I’ll be Back Before Midnight,” opening Nov. 7. Afterwards, the romantic comedy “Emma” opens Jan. 9, 2026, and the character-driven drama “Storm Warning” opens March 6, 2026. TNT will finish its season with a showing of the musical “Deer Camp” on May 1, 2026.
Crank has been associated with TNT since 2009 and said he feels that the theater has a lot to offer to community members.
“[Trumbull New Theatre] provides Trumbull County with a place for aspiring actors and hobbyists of all levels to come and hone their skills and express that creative part of themselves that they might not [have] otherwise if we were not here,” Crank said.
Since TNT is a nonprofit organization, it maintains itself through ticket sales and donations from its community of patrons. The board also donates several personal resources into TNT.
Dave Dougherty, TNT actor and cast member for “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight,” said since getting involved with TNT, his greatest takeaway has been the relationships with the theater’s members.
“Well, actually all the people I’ve met, we have a lot in common, and it just stretches my horizon as far as other people with the same interests, because it’s like a little community,” Dougherty said.
In today’s digital world, social media is essential for marketing small community organizations, such as TNT. Crank said the use of social media and other platforms has made it possible for the theater to connect to a much larger audience and promote TNT.
“Social media gives us a much farther region for our marketing,” Crank said. “People who don’t even know we’re here, maybe live three minutes down the road, could now find us on Facebook or Instagram or other various forms of online activities, like our website. It expands our range of advertising and reach by quite a bit.”
Those interested in learning more about the theater, showtimes or auditions can visit the TNT website for more information.
