Patrice Reynolds never wanted to run a theater. 

Reynolds, a playwright and recording artist, wanted to write and direct shows but soon found that there was a real need for a space for local artists to create culture and expand the entertainment scene in Myrtle Beach. 

“I didn’t see a platform for people like me here,” says Reynolds, a Myrtle Beach Resident since 2012. She owned and operated the P. Reynolds Jazz Club in Myrtle Beach. In addition to jazz performances, the club had a back room that was perfect for small theatrical performances – and an ideal way for her to test the waters with her plan for the aforementioned platform. 

That back room became the Dream House Theatre in 2018 and operated there until COVID hit and Reyolds ultimately shut down the club. 

Reynolds  took a year off but was doubly motivated to find a suitable venue.  She says she eagerly sought help from the City of Myrtle Beach for help in finding a space, but to no avail.

“I decided not to get angry but to channel that emotion into creating a platform for people like myself,” Reynolds says. 

One day, she got a call from Mindi Penn, co-owner [with husband Thom Penn] of Atlantic Stage, a small, black box theater inside the Myrtle Beach Mall which had just shut down – another casualty of the pandemic. But the space was still intact and available. 

“Mindi convinced me to go down there and talk to them about my vision. I did that and thanks to [Myrtle Beach Mall GM] Joe Perl. I got this theater space just like that,” she says. “He gets it.”

Since it opened at its new location in 2021, the Dream House Theatre has become a thriving music and performing arts venue – and true to Reynolds’ vision, an outreach performing arts platform. 

“That means we reach out to individuals who would not normally have the opportunity to grow up with theater,” she says. 

Dream House hosts visiting musical acts and mounts at least five theatrical productions per year, not including productions from Long Bay Theatre, which rents out the space for its own productions. 

“I am the grassroots of community theater. We depend on local artists – people that have careers and people who are working toward that goal. We open the doors to the community to come and audition every single time we have a show.”

When it comes to this age of hyperconnectivity and social media, Reynolds has said that theater has already become something else. She is working on an app to stream performances, and has recently brought on a social media manager. 

“My dream for this outreach community theater has just started,” Reynolds said, “It’s still young in growth but we are finally getting there with the help of the community. I’m a community type of girl.”

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/DREAMHOUSEPLAYERS