05/27/2026
Thalian Hall mourns the loss of Tom Briggs, former Artistic Director of our oldest resident partner Thalian Association Community Theatre.
In November of 2005, Tom Briggs came to Thalian Hall to direct an original musical written by the locally beloved Dorothy Papadakos and produced by World Premiere Theatrical Productions Inc. entitled Pompeii. Pompeii was a musical set in ancient Italy on the eve of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption, following Baccus, the god of wine and mischief through the tale. Ms. Papadakos gathered a remarkable team of creatives from NYC and countless local performers and technicians. It was larger than Mt. Vesuvius itself. Thalian Hall had hosted some larger than life shows before but none so recently memorable as the one that brought Tom Briggs here to Wilmington, after 30 years in NYC. Tom’s voice was boisterous with delight when he beheld the view of the Historic Main Stage House. “Ohhhhh my gaaaawd” he exclaimed, “can I stay here forever?”
Little did he know, that he would choose to stay in Wilmington, moving here permanently in 2006 to fill the role of Thalian Association’s Artistic Director from 2006-2014. His first season, in honor of Pompeii being a world premiere, he also programmed a season of Wilmington premieres including Big The Musical, The Graduate and a musical based on It's A Wonderful Life. Tom would go on to direct, produce and perform in countless productions at Thalian Hall; Tuesdays With Morrie, starring the great Pat Hingle being a very memorable selection.
At Thalian Hall we are saddened to hear of Tom’s passing this week, but we are taking a moment to celebrate the life of Tom Briggs and honor his lasting memory as a man who was a world class premiere in and of himself. His tenacity to bring New York City glam to the Wilmington theatre community is an indelible legacy that has and will continue to carry many generations of premiere work and Broadway dreams coming true right here in the heart of the Wilmington theatre scene and at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts.