The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, founded in 1985, is a volunteer-based community theatre showcasing the talents of the people of the region.

HART has grown into one of the most active theatres in the Southeast, producing a year-round schedule of plays and musicals from its home, The Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, which opened in 1997.

HART's home is a stunning facility constructed in the style of the traditional Summer Stock playhouses of the 1920s and is both grand and informal.