Learn more about Mill Mountain Star’s history.

About Starcropolis

Atop the Acropolis, the Greeks did it…Beneath the stars, Shakespeare did it…In the neon glow, Roanoke does it!

A grand festival of theatre, celebrating Mill Mountain…the Roanoke Star…and the people who make it glow! Starcropolis is presented by Hollins University and the Hollins Theatre Institute, with the City of Roanoke, Mill Mountain Theatre, the Roanoke Public Libraries, and several generous sponsors. Together they have set out to create an epic theatre event that reflects the unique personality of the Star City- the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

To celebrate the legacy of theatre on the mountain, a stage will be erected where Mill Mountain Playhouse once stood. For years, the charming old theatre brought audiences to the mountaintop on beautiful summer nights to enjoy a play, a lemonade, and a glorious view. Hollins faculty and students were often part of the playhouse’s professional company, and although Mill Mountain Theatre has since moved to beautiful digs downtown, we are thrilled to invite a new audience back to the mountain with Starcropolis.

The acropolis is the highest point in any city. In ancient Greece, citizens would gather there for theatre festivals… to be entertained… to be inspired… to feel connected. The glorious backdrop for the show was the spectacular view. It offered a breathtaking perspective on the place they called home.

Like the Greeks, people from all walks of life will be invited to ascend Mill Mountain, our acropolis, and gather beneath our wacky and wonderful neon Parthenon… the Roanoke Star. They will be entertained by exciting theatrics, including Star Stories– vignettes and monologues created especially for this event by award winning playwrights from the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University, along with some of the regions most famous bestselling authors. Known for decades as a vibrant theatre center, there’s a reason Roanoke has recently been called “an ignition point for new plays in America,” and Starcropolis will show you why!