Theatre Lobby was founded in 1949 by Mary Goldwater and Mary-Averett Seelye as the District’s first off-Broadway theater. Plays were presented in an old carriage house located behind St. Matthew’s Cathedral just off Connecticut Avenue on St. Matthew’s Court. The theater only had 75 seats with a 20x20 stage area. It featured the works of a broad range of playwrights, including the District’s first productions of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot and “Happy Days.” The most famous actor to appear in a production was George C. Scott who appeared in the 1956 production of “Six Characters in Search of an Author.” Scott appeared under the name Vic Scott because, as a member of Actors Equity, he could not act without compensation. The theater company held its last production in 1972. In 1985, the organization reconvened as a theater support organization, presenting an annual award named after the organization's founder Mary Goldwater. The award was presented to theater groups and individuals demonstrating “excellence against odds.” About one hundred artists and twenty companies received the awards, with the last award being presented in May 2006.