The Hickory Playground was created by Dylan Tashjian, Jordan Makant, and Robert Fuller to celebrate creativity and support arts education in public schools in Catawba County, North Carolina.

The Inaugural Hickory Playground took place over a 48-hour period from July 21-23, 2016. More than 250 people came to the SALT Block's Drendel Auditorium in Hickory, North Carolina, to watch eight original one-act plays performed for the very first time. By the end of the night, thanks to our incredible sponsors and audience, we raised $6,000, half of which we gave to Hickory High School's Art Department, and the other half to St. Stephen's High School's Art Department.

Since that 48-hour period, the Hickory Playground has gone from a project three teenagers created in order to help their community and transformed into an arts advocacy organization dedicated to promoting new artists, arts education, and arts experiences. Every July, the 48-Hour Theatre Festival brings together eight original playwrights and 24+ actors to create a series of 10-minute-or-less plays and musicals for a one-night-only crowd at the SALT Block’s Drendel Auditorium. Additionally, every year, the Hickory Playground throws a party in honor of the visual and musical arts — local visual artists come together to sell their work, local musicians come to perform and sing, and people from all around Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina, and the country come to dance, appreciate, and celebrate the arts.  Through unique initiatives, HPG provides up-and-coming artists a platform to share their work and their stories.

The Hickory Playground's support is the only reason we're able to do a musical this year!
-- Alison Andrews, Drama Teacher at Bandy's High School