In 1935, while the Great Depression was raging, Weston-born architect Raymond Austin was putting the finishing touches on a playhouse that one Boston Globe critic would dub "the most beautiful theatre in New England."  A former church renovated for the town's dramatic club, the Weston Playhouse quickly attracted the attention of director Harlan Grant, who produced the theatre's first summer stock season in 1927, featuring a young actor names Lloyd Bridges. The company flourished under Grant and later producer Walter Boughton, giving a start to such talented artists as Emmy award-winning actor Christopher Lloyd and Tony-winning designer John Lee Beatty.  Musicals were eventually added and then a late-night cabaret and a restaurant.  In 2015, the playhouse celebrated it's 80th anniversary.