Spokane Civic Theatre

Last updated
Spokane Civic Theatre
Outside spokane civic theatre.JPG
A 2010 view of Spokane Civic Theatre.
Spokane Civic Theatre
Address1020 N. Howard St.
Spokane, WA 99201
United States
OwnerSpokane Civic Theatre
TypeCommunity Theatre
Capacity 336 (main stage), approx. 85 (studio)
Production2013-14 Starlit Season
Construction
Opened1967 (1967)
ArchitectMoritz Kundig
Website
www.spokanecivictheatre.com

Spokane Civic Theatre is a nationally recognized non-profit theatre located in Spokane, Washington. Incorporated in 1947, the theatre is one of the oldest community theatres in the country. In recent years, the theatre has been brought to a level of excellence [1] that has resulted in many awards. [2] The theatre's mission is "to foster an enduring love for live theatre in every community member." [3] Civic, as it is fondly called by the surrounding community, sets a high standard for theatre in the Spokane area.

Contents

General

Spokane Civic Theatre is one of few community theatres that owns its own building and land. The building was built in 1967 in the Brutalist style on a $250,000 budget and designed by architect Mortiz Kundig, who referred to the theater job as "a plum of a commission" and the building as "one of my best buildings". [4] The present facility houses two performance spaces: The Margot and Robert Ogden Main Stage Theatre and The Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre. The Main Stage auditorium is a proscenium theatre with a seating capacity of 334, while the Studio theatre is a small, black box theatre seating approximately 85. [5] The seating in the Studio theatre can be moved, which allows specific productions to fill the space in a new way, like the 2011 production of Metamorphoses , which housed a pool. Both stages are wheel-chair accessible, and the Main Stage also provides Sennhiser infra-red assistive listening devices and a Hearing Loop system (installed in 2014) for patrons with hearing disabilities. The backstage area houses a scene shop, sewing room, storage for props, a fully furnished green room, offices and dressing rooms. Children under the age of five, including infants, are not allowed into performances as a courtesy to other patrons.

History

As one of the oldest community theatres in the country, Spokane Civic Theatre is a point of pride for the city. [6] Incorporated in 1947, performances were held in other facilities at first, including the old Post Theater and, beginning in 1957, the Riverside Playhouse. The present facility was opened in 1967. In 1972, a three story addition was made, adjoining to the backstage area of the main theatre. This space was used for set construction, rehearsals, the costume shop, and offices for the continued upkeep of the theatre. The lower levels of the theatre, previously used as rehearsal space, were converted into a studio theatre in 1979. It was named for long-time volunteer Firth J. Chew in 1989. Currently, it is used as a black box theatre, and many of the smaller or experimental productions take place there. In 2013, the Main Stage Women's restroom was expanded and a new Donor Lounge & Meeting Room was added onto the building.

In addition, Civic used to be home to the Box and Hat Players, a performance troupe devoted to spreading a love of musical theatre to community members of all ages. Spokane Children's Theatre also used Civic's stage at one time.

Education

Civic serves as a resource for local high school and college theatre departments. It also operates a theatre school - - for all ages. Civic provides a variety of workshops in acting, directing, voice, dance, stage combat and technical theatre. The Academy reaches approximately 700 students per year, 100 of them taking more than one class.

The fall, winter and spring quarters run eight weeks beginning in late September, late January, and mid-April. Each class meets one day a week. The Academy also runs summer camps for those going into K-12, where students come each weekday during the morning or the afternoon. The grade school summer program uses a play-in-a-week format, rendering familiar stories like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Legend of Zelda, Star Wars and The Chronicles of Narnia into simple and fun performances. For the 7-12th grade students, there are three classes throughout the summer: a two-week Musical Theatre camp, a two-week Drama camp, and a 3-4 week Musical Performance camp.

In Summer 2011 the Musical Performance camp for the students entering grades 7-12 was changed. It was originally a program focused on finding the individual talents of each actor involved and bringing them together into a fun, original musical. The program became more like a summer stock performance, where the students have 3–4 weeks of rehearsals in which to fully memorize their lines, choreography, and music. The success of their 2011 production of Footloose cemented the change in the program.

Each year, there are Theatre Intensives for school age students to perform. The Intensive format includes a couple weeks of rehearsal each day culminating in a ticketed performance. The proceeds from the performance go toward the Scholarship Fund.

Spokane Civic Theatre's Academy program also runs a scholarship program for the many students in the community who possess a love of theatre without the ability to fund a whole week at camp. Thanks to the generous contributions from the community, many scholarships have been provided to qualifying families with the over $15,000 raised per season. The community's need for scholarship has increased from approximately 10% to 30%.

Community Involvement

Spokane Civic Theatre has approximately 500 volunteers who serve as actors, backstage crews, front of house, house managers, and board members. [7] They contribute an estimated 90,000 hours every year. Volunteers return to Civic time and time again, supporting the theatre's endeavors. In addition to volunteering their time, the Spokane community has given incredible amounts in the form of donations that support the theatre and its mission.

Civic provides over 600 Main Stage tickets to help various other community organizations and individuals with their auctions and fundraisers. Civic also presents benefit performance nights for other not-for-profit groups, reaching 4,500-6,000 individuals. Many of these individuals have never been to Civic or a live stage production before.

In the fall of 2011, Civic launched the Shakespeare in Schools community outreach program. The program is free for Middle and High School students and teachers and is taught by Civic's Director of Education. Shakespeare in Schools this 2013-14 season has reached approximately 750 students and 16 teachers at 7 schools. During the fall of 2013, the Academy tested a pilot program called Creative Dramatics with the focus on Elementary school students/teachers; it received an enormous response (serving approximately 350 students, 14 teachers, and 9 schools) and will become a full program, like the Shakespeare in Schools.

For the first time in March 2014, Civic and the Spokane Symphony joined forces to present a two evening performance of the theatre's earlier hit production of Les Misérables live at the Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox. The joint fundraiser for the three community organizations exceeded their expectations.

Awards

Spokane Civic Theatre holds approximately 150 local, state, regional, and national awards for community theatre from the Inlander's Spokie awards to the American Association of Community Theatres' (AACT) Festival.

At the 2011 AACTFest, [8] Spokane Civic Theatre's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee received two awards and three nominations. The awards were for Lacey Bohnet as Best Supporting Actress and Nancy Vancil for Best Musical Accompaniment. Nominations were in the areas of Best Lighting Design, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Ensemble.

Civic has also been recognized by the city of Spokane, most recently in 2007, when then Technical Director Peter Hardie was recognized for continued artistic excellence, and Resident Director Troy Nickerson for volunteering abundant talent and resources to help raise funds for many Spokane area non-profits. [9]

A full list of awards received by Spokane Civic Theatre can be viewed on the Awards page of Spokane Civic Theatre's website.

Related Research Articles

The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre is the third-largest community theatre organization in the United States. It is located in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary plays not limited to Shakespeare. During the Festival, between five and eleven plays are offered in daily rotation six days a week in its three theatres. It welcomed its millionth visitor in 1971, its 10-millionth in 2001, and its 20-millionth visitor in 2015. At any given time between five and eleven plays are offered in daily rotation six days a week in its three theatres.

Utah Shakespeare Festival Annual Theatrical Festival in Cedar City, Utah, United States

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a theatrical festival that performs works by Shakespeare as their cornerstone. The Festival is held during the summer and fall on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, United States.

Canadian Stage is a non-profit contemporary performance arts company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Great Lakes Theater Theater company in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Great Lakes Theater, originally known as the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, is a professional classic theater company in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1962, Great Lakes is the second-largest regional theater in Northeast Ohio. It specializes in large-cast classic plays with a strong foundation in the works of Shakespeare and features an educational outreach program. The company performs its main stage productions in rotating repertory at the Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square, which reopened on September 20, 2008. The organization shares a resident company of artists with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. On its main stage and through its education programs, GLT connects approximately 85,000 adults and students to the classics each season.

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre (UFOMT) is an opera company based in Logan, Utah. The company performs four fully staged works with orchestra in repertory every July and August at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Logan's Main Street. The works performed range from operas to operettas to musicals. Singers, performers, technicians and orchestra come from all over the United States, including artists from Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera.

American Shakespeare Center Regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia, focusing on Shakespeare

The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is a regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia, that focuses on the plays of William Shakespeare; his contemporaries Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Christopher Marlowe; and works related to Shakespeare, like James Goldman's The Lion in Winter and Bob Carlton's Return to the Forbidden Planet.

Manitoba Theatre for Young People

Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) is a theatre for children and young adults in The Forks area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As of 2012, MTYP's annual attendance regularly exceeds 100,000.

The Bangalore School of Speech and Drama is a performing arts training institute located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It is affiliated with London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Gaslight Theatre

The Gaslight Theatre is a nonprofit theatre troupe and venue in Enid, Oklahoma. Founded in 1966 as the Enid Community Theatre, the group stages productions of ten plays per year, including Shakespeare in the Park, musicals, and dinner theatre. For the past 30 years, Gaslight has called the historic Billings Theatre its home.

Shakespeare Tavern

The Shakespeare Tavern is an Elizabethan playhouse located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Starting productions at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta in 1984, the Tavern moved to 499 Peachtree Street in 1990.

The Naples Players (TNP) is a nationally recognized community theatre company located in Naples, Florida. The company was founded on January 19, 1953 and performs in the Sugden Community Theatre at 701 5th Avenue South in downtown Naples. It has been named the "Best Live Theatre" in Southwest Florida fifteen times by the readers poll of The Naples Daily News.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is one of the largest professional Shakespeare companies in North America, serving over 100,000 adults and children annually. Located in Madison, New Jersey, it is the state's largest theatre company dedicated to the works of Shakespeare and other classic masterworks, including rarely produced epics not often produced by other theatres.

Lookingglass Theatre Company is a non-profit theater company in Chicago, Illinois.

The Kearsarge Arts Theater (KAT) Company is a long-established, non-profit summer program for children interested in the arts. Based in the New London area of New Hampshire, KAT operates out of the Kearsarge Regional High School annually for the entire month of July. Classes primarily run Monday through Thursday, and give students a wide variety of classes, including Chorus, Dance, Visual Art, Photography, Acting, Improve, Costuming, Technical Theater, and much more. Depending on the class offerings, students have the option of taking up to two morning classes and one afternoon class. The end of the month culminates in performances for those in the higher-level performing arts classes, and are treated as a community or even small professional musical production, open to the public.

California Shakespeare Theater

California Shakespeare Theater is a regional theater located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Its performance space, the Lt. G. H. Bruns III Memorial Amphitheater, is located in Orinda, while the administrative offices, rehearsal hall, costume and prop shop are located in Berkeley.

Shakespeare in the Park festivals Outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeares plays

Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This concept has been adapted by many theatre companies, and over time, this name has expanded to encompass outdoor theatre productions of the playwright's works performed all over the world.

Broadway Rose Theatre Company

Broadway Rose Theatre Company is a professional musical theatre company based in Tigard, Oregon. Founded in 1991, the company produces six mainstage productions, two children's musicals, and a teen workshop production each year. Their home theater is The New Stage, a 270-seat venue, with their summer season playing at Deb Fennell Auditorium, a 600-seat auditorium at Tigard High School. Broadway Rose Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Amas Musical Theatre, also known as the Rosetta LeNoire Theatre Academy and the Mainstage Musical Theatre, and formerly known as the Amas Repertory Theatre, Inc. and the Eubie Blake Youth Theatre, is a non-profit Manhattan-based theatre organization founded by Rosetta LeNoire. The name stems from the Latin word "amare", meaning "to love". "Amas" is the active indicative present form of "you love". The Academy puts on both a showcase and an off-off-Broadway performance at the end of the year, featuring inner-city and other teenagers. Amas is an anchor theatre tenant of the Players Theatre, a theatre located in Greenwich Village. The theatre has produced over 60 original musicals, including Bubbling Brown Sugar and Bojangles!.

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards, more commonly known as the Jimmy Awards, are awards given annually to recognize musical theatre performances by high school students in the United States. Two main awards are given each year, Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor.

References

  1. ↑ Spokesman-Review. "Artistic Director Helps Civic Theatre Thrive Despite Tough Economy." Jim Kershner.
  2. ↑ Spokane Civic Theatre Website - Awards
  3. ↑ Spokane Civic Theatre Website - About Us
  4. ↑ "Spokane Civic Theatre".
  5. ↑ Spokane Civic Theatre Website - Seating Charts
  6. ↑ Sondericker, Philip, dir. "60 Years in the Making: The Story of Spokane Civic Theatre." Narr. Patrick Treadway. 2006. Spokane Civic Theatre. DVD-ROM.
  7. ↑ Spokane Civic Theatre Website - Volunteer
  8. ↑ 2011 AACTFest
  9. ↑ Spokane Arts Awards

Coordinates: 47°40′1.35″N117°25′13.99″W / 47.6670417°N 117.4205528°W / 47.6670417; -117.4205528

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.