Tyler Civic Theatre evolved from Tyler Little Theatre, formed in 1927. Stage productions were performed on a speaker's platform at Tyler High School and on the stage at the Women's Building on South Broadway. In 1939, the Little Theatre erected its own building at the corner of Houston and Glenwood Streets. During WWII, performances were discontinued and the building sold with proceeds held in trust by the City of Tyler. But Tyler's love of local theatre never waned, and when its men returned from the war, they brought new enthusiasm and ideas.
Al Gilliam formed the Circle Theatre at Tyler Junior College, staging productions with audiences surrounding them. The shows proved so popular that a group of Tyler citizens rallied to revive its own city theatre and in 1949, Tyler Civic Theatre was born. Gilliam was named its first resident director and, in 1951, the group opened the nation's first building to be built specifically for in-the-round presentations.