Boise Contemporary Theater facts for kids

The Boise Contemporary Theater (BCT) is a professional theater group in Boise, Idaho. Since 1997, BCT has been the only professional theater company in southeastern Idaho. They focus on performing modern plays.

Each year, BCT puts on five main shows from October to April. They also have a popular 5x5 reading series. This series features new plays that are still being developed. There's also a children's reading series with modern plays for kids. A summer reading series includes readings at Bogus Basin mountain. Plus, they host the yearly BIPOC Playwrights Festival in August.

BCT is known for its wide variety of plays. They also have amazing set design and talented actors. These actors come from all over the country. BCT often presents brand new plays to the world for the very first time.

What BCT Does

Boise Contemporary Theater wants to "inspire our community." They help people think about different ideas. They also help us understand ourselves, each other, and the world better. They do this by telling interesting stories about human experiences.

Where BCT Is Located

BCT is in the heart of the BODO District. This is in downtown Boise at 854 Fulton Street.

The Theater Building

The BCT Main Stage used to be a seed house built in 1935. It's a cozy black box theater with 231 seats. These seats are arranged in nine rows. The seats were given to BCT by The Egyptian Theatre after its renovation.

The beautiful chandeliers in the main hall are on loan. They come from the Idaho State Historical Society. These chandeliers used to be in the old Pinney Theater.

Future Plans for the Theater

As of 2024, BCT started a project called "Setting the Stage." This project aims to fix up the historic theater. They also plan to add a pub for visitors.

BCT's Story

Matthew Cameron Clark founded BCT and was its Artistic Director. He started producing theater in Boise, Idaho in 1996. In November 1996, he put on a play called Lone Star. He worked with actors he met at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. They performed the play in a basement in Downtown Boise.

Clark saw that people in Boise wanted professional modern theater. So, Boise Contemporary Theater was created. They then produced four more plays in different places. These included Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and All in the Timing. They also had the first-ever performance of Drive Me. In the spring of 1999, Lonely Planet was the first play BCT produced as a non-profit group.

Building a Permanent Home

In 1999, Boise Contemporary Theater started a project to find a permanent home. The building on Fulton Street was a seed house built in 1935. By October 2000, it was changed into a theater. It had a main stage, classrooms, a rehearsal space, and offices. This project raised $2.6 million.

On October 12, 2000, BCT opened its first play in the new theater. It was Steve Martin's Picasso At The Lapin Agile. The season also included True West and The Cripple of Inishman.

Notable Directors and Awards

Filmmaker Michael Hoffman has directed two plays at BCT. These were The Cherry Orchard and Waiting for Godot.

Since 1997, BCT has won many local and national awards. They have received National Theatre Company Grants twice. These grants come from the American Theatre Wing. BCT also won the 2013 Mayor's Award for Excellence in Art. In 2016, they received a Governor's Award in the Arts. They were also chosen as a Boise city 2022-2023 Cultural Ambassador.

In 2021, the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation gave BCT $30,000. This money helped start the first Annual BCT BIPOC Playwrights Festival. In 2024, the National Endowment for the Arts gave BCT a $25,000 grant. This supported the 4th Annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival.

How BCT Is Organized

Boise Contemporary Theater is run by a ten-member Board of Trustees. It is managed by five full-time staff members. The team is led by Producing Artistic Director Benjamin Burdick and Managing Director Emily Mahon.

BCT Productions

Main Stage Plays

The 2022-2023 Season featured four plays. These included the world premiere of Middle of the World and The Thanksgiving Play. They also performed Clyde’s and Silent Sky.

You can find a list of all past main stage plays and reading series on the BCT website. This list goes all the way back to 1997.

Annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival

The BIPOC Playwrights Festival started in 2021. It began with a grant from the Idaho Women's Charitable Foundation. This festival invites playwrights, directors, and actors. They work together to develop and perform staged readings of brand new plays.

Playwrights of color, both new and experienced, work with professional actors, directors, and technicians. The playwrights spend a week working on their scripts. At the end of the festival, audiences watch the staged readings. After each reading, there's a question and answer session. Plays from this festival have later become full productions in New York, Los Angeles, and at the BCT Mainstage.

In 2024, a new part of the festival started. It's called the Young Playwrights Initiative. This ensures that one play by a writer aged 18 to 25 is included.

BCT received a $25,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This supported the 4th Annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival in 2024. This was also the first year the BIPOC Festival readings were held at the BCT Mainstage.

5x5 Reading Series

Besides its main stage shows, BCT also hosts five play readings each season. This is called the 5x5 Reading Series. It often includes new plays or plays still being developed. It also features award-winning modern plays.

Some famous readings have included plays by Maria Dahvana Headley and Don DeLillo.

Learning at BCT

BCT offers professional theater training for young people. These programs are for schools throughout the Treasure Valley. Classes are taught at BCT and at local schools.

The Academy for Contemporary Theater is BCT’s newest program. It offers year-round classes for adults. These classes are taught by professional actors. Theater Lab is a program for ages 12-18. It helps participants create, write, design, produce, and perform a play. BCT also works with local elementary, middle, and high schools.