Jessica Ryan said life would be different if it wasn't for the Augusta Mini Theater.

“I'd probably on the streets skipping class,” Ryan said.

Since she was a child, Jessica has attended the theater singing and dancing, but her favorite is acting.

The theater has kept Jessica off of the streets. And founder Tyrone Butler says it was his days on the streets that sparked the idea for the company.

“I grew up in segregated Augusta. Those of us who had talent, who could sing, we had to do it on street corners,” Butler said.

He created the theater in 1975 to give kids in the community a place to express themselves.

But he says the old location downtown never felt permanent.

“When we first started we always wanted to have a place to call home we think we're home. This is home,” Butler said.

The new location is on Dean's Bridge Road. In addition to the new building, the Mini Theater also has more funding. That will allow them to bring back classes that were cut in the past due to lack of funding.

“Once we get into the new school we will bring the dance program back and we will bring the art program back,” Butler said.

Programs that help build a bond for those in the mini theater.

“You've heard people talk about dog years. It's like dog years in that one year in the mini theater is like seven. We get close,” Butler said.

The Mini Theater will have its grand opening in October. A second phase of the project will add a 300-seat theater.