The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, or simply the Lyceum Theatre, is a regionalEquity theater in Arrow Rock, Missouri.[1] Opening in 1961, the theatre is located in an historic church building within the Arrow Rock Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District since 1963. The 416-seat auditorium hosts over 33,000 patrons a year,[2][3] and is Missouri's oldest professional regional theater.[4]
The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre was founded in 1961, and for its first season, performed three nineteenth-century plays on a budget of $3,500.[5] The venue was originally a "1872 Gothic Revival Style" Baptist Church,[4] whose congregation had consolidated with others in town and no longer used the building. Two families, the Lawrences and the Argubrights, co-owned the building and offered to let it be used as a theater. Henry Swanson, a professor at Columbia College was the first artistic director.[6] In 1967, the theater attempted to raise $29,000 to purchase a new property.[7] By its 30th anniversity in 1991, it had hosted 25,000 shows and had around 300,000 attendees.[8] In 1993, the theatre underwent a renovation project to expand the capacity of the venue.[6] In 2004, the theater's dormitory was damaged by a fire. The community provided housing for the cast for the following three seasons.[6] From around 2005 to 2024, its artistic director was Quin Gresham, before his resignation.[9] As of 2017, around 12,000 actors audition for roles at the theater per year.[10] In 2019, the theatre was the first in the state to receive the "Missouri Historical Theatre" designation.[11] In 2022, the Count Basie Orchestra performed at the theater.[12] In 2024, it was renovated to have new seating placed.[13]
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