Clinton Area Showboat Theatre facts for kids
The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre is a special professional theater in Clinton, Iowa. It's a "summer stock" theater, which means it puts on shows mainly during the summer. This theater is inside a real showboat that is now parked on the Army Corps of Engineers Levee. It has 217 seats and has been putting on fun musicals and comedies for many years!
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History of the Showboat
How the Boat Was Built
The boat was first built in 1936 near Pittsburgh. Its original name was Omar. It wasn't built to be a theater at all! It was a working boat, a coal-powered towboat that pushed barges on the Ohio River. The boat is very big: about 207 feet long and 36 feet wide.
It had a huge wooden paddlewheel that was about 32 feet wide. This paddlewheel was powered by big engines that needed lots of coal every day. These engines made 1,000 horsepower! For 25 years, the Omar worked hard, moving barges along the Ohio River. In 1962, the company that owned it gave the boat to the State of West Virginia.
Becoming a Showboat
The State of West Virginia decided to turn the old towboat into a showboat. They kept some parts of the original boat, like the main deck and the captain's rooms. The old kitchen and crew areas were changed into the theater space. They even raised the pilothouse (where the captain steered) to create a new third deck. This new deck had a balcony for the theater and a museum area. The boat was given a new name: Rhododendron, which is West Virginia's state flower.
Clinton Buys the Boat
On September 15, 1966, the city of Clinton, Iowa, bought the Rhododendron from West Virginia. It cost them $21,165. A week later, the boat started a long journey of 1,600 miles to Clinton. It traveled down the Monongahela River to Pittsburgh, then down the Ohio River, and finally up the Mississippi River to Clinton. Once it arrived, it was docked at Riverfront Park and used as a floating theater.
The City of Clinton
In 1975, a new flood control dike was being built in Clinton. This meant the showboat had to move for five years. When it came back to Clinton in 1980, it was given a new name: City of Clinton.
After its return, the City of Clinton was pulled out of the river. It was placed permanently on the new dike. This was done to protect the boat from damage during winter and to make it easier for people to visit. At the same time, the outside of the boat was painted, and the inside was fixed up.
The Lillian Russell Theater
In 1980, the theater inside the City of Clinton was named the "Lillian Russell Theater." This was to honor Lillian Russell, a famous actress who was born in Clinton. In 1983, the city decided to start its own theater company for the "Lillian Russell Theater." Before this, they paid other companies to put on plays. Starting their own company was a smarter way to do things. They hired an artistic director and created the Showboat Players. Their first show was in the summer of 1984.
Clinton Area Showboat Theater (CAST)
In 1988, a new non-profit group was formed to manage the Lillian Russell Theater. This group was called the Clinton Area Showboat Theater (CAST). By 1989, CAST was running the theater. The city changed the old showboat museum into a theater shop. They also added new boilers and made the front part of the main deck a waiting area. This waiting area was also used for rehearsals in 1989 and 1990.
Modern Updates
In the 1990s, the city made many improvements to the City of Clinton. In 1991, they rebuilt the first deck, removing old motors and pumps. They added a new ticket office for CAST and a concession stand. Air conditioning and heating were also installed on the first deck, in the theater, and in the dressing rooms.
In 1992, a special elevator was installed for people using wheelchairs. A wheelchair seating area was also created in the back of the theater. In 1995, a ramp was built to the second deck, making the boat even more accessible.
Later, in 2006, the city added a new fire control system and a new air conditioning system. The outside of the City of Clinton and its paddle wheel were painted again. The theater also got new carpet, wooden floors, and new seats. In 2016, there was talk about repainting the boat's exterior again because of chipping and rust.
Who Runs the Show?
The Clinton Showboat is currently managed by Executive Producer, James Kyle Davis. He has worked in many different roles on the boat over the past ten years, starting as a carpenter and moving up. Before 2023, James Beaudry was the Producing Artistic Director for two years after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2014, Matthew Teague Miller became the producing artistic director. He had directed a musical called Les Misérables at a nearby theater. Miller has a strong background in musical theater and directing. He was the Artistic Manager until 2020, when he left to spend more time with his family.
