East Carolina University Loessin Summer Theater

Since 1964, East Carolina University (ECU)’s Summer Theater—now called the ECU/Loessin Summer Theatre—has brought high quality productions of the world’s finest musicals, comedies, and dramatic repertory to the citizens of eastern North Carolina at affordable prices. Operating under the auspices of the ECU School of Theatre and Dance, it employs 150 theater arts professionals.

Edgar Loessin, along with John Sneeden and Mavis Ray, founded ECU’s Department of Drama and Speech (now the School of Theatre and Dance) in 1963 and served as department chair until his retirement in 1990. During this time he created the Playhouse as an educational theatre and the Summer Theatre as a professional company. In 2001, his contributions were acknowledged by naming these two theatrical producing entities after him.