The building of Theatre Atlanta was largely paid for by a single benefactor , Frania Lee , heiress to the Hunt Oil fortune . The company of Theatre Atlanta originated in 1957 as a professional repertory company and Lee 's daughter , Helen Lee Cartledge , was the first president of the Theatre Atlanta 's Women 's Guild . Lee built a home for the company as a tribute to Cartledge , who perished in the infamous Orly plane crash on June 3 , 1962 , along with her husband and 128 others ( which made it the worst airplane disaster to date ) . The Atlanta Arts Association had sponsored a month-long tour of Europe and many of Atlanta 's cultural and civic leaders lost their lives on the flight home from Paris
Orly plane crash
Air France Flight 007
Center Stage (Atlanta)