Spokane Civic Theatre facts for kids

Spokane Civic Theatre is a well-known non-profit theatre in Spokane, Washington. It started in 1947, making it one of the oldest community theatres in the United States. The theatre has won many awards for its great performances. Its goal is to help everyone in the community love live theatre. People in Spokane often call it "Civic" for short.

Inside the Theatre

Spokane Civic Theatre is special because it owns its own building and land. The building was built in 1967. It was designed by architect Moritz Kundig. He thought it was one of his best buildings.

The theatre has two places where shows happen:

• The Margot and Robert Ogden Main Stage Theatre
• The Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre

The Main Stage is a proscenium theatre. This means it has a frame around the stage, like a picture frame. It can seat 334 people. The Studio Theatre is a smaller, flexible space. It's called a black box theatre because it's a simple, dark room. It can seat about 85 people. The seats in the Studio Theatre can be moved. This allows for different kinds of shows. For example, a 2011 show called Metamorphoses had a pool on stage!

Both stages are easy to access for people using wheelchairs. The Main Stage also has special devices. These help people with hearing difficulties enjoy the show. Backstage, there's a shop to build sets. There's also a sewing room for costumes. You'll find storage for props, dressing rooms, and offices. For everyone's comfort, children under five are not allowed into performances.

A Look Back: The Theatre's History

Spokane Civic Theatre is one of the oldest community theatres. It's a source of pride for the city. It officially started in 1947. At first, shows were held in other places. These included the old Post Theater. From 1957, shows were at the Riverside Playhouse.

The theatre's current building opened in 1967. In 1972, a three-story addition was built. This new space was used for building sets and rehearsing. It also held the costume shop and offices. The lower levels of the theatre were once rehearsal spaces. They were turned into the Studio Theatre in 1979. In 1989, it was named after Firth J. Chew. He was a long-time volunteer. Today, this black box theatre hosts smaller or more experimental shows. In 2013, the Main Stage women's restroom was made bigger. A new lounge and meeting room were also added.

Civic also used to be home to the Box and Hat Players. This group loved sharing musical theatre with everyone. The Spokane Children's Theatre also used Civic's stage at one time.

Learn and Perform: Theatre School

Civic helps local high school and college theatre groups. It also has a theatre school for all ages. The school offers many workshops. You can learn acting, directing, voice, dance, and even stage combat. They also teach about the technical side of theatre. About 700 students attend the Academy each year.

Classes run for eight weeks in the fall, winter, and spring. They start in late September, January, and April. Each class meets once a week. The Academy also has summer camps. These are for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Students come each weekday morning or afternoon.

The summer program for younger students uses a "play-in-a-week" style. They perform familiar stories. These include The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. For students in grades 7-12, there are three summer camps. These are 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 changed. It became more like a summer stock performance. Students have 3–4 weeks to rehearse. They fully memorize their lines, dances, and songs. Their 2011 show of Footloose was a big success. This made the change permanent.

Each year, there are Theatre Intensives for school-aged students. These involve a few weeks of daily rehearsals. They end with a ticketed performance. Money from these shows goes to the Scholarship Fund.

Spokane Civic Theatre's Academy also has a scholarship program. This helps students who love theatre but can't afford the classes. Thanks to community donations, many scholarships are given. Over $15,000 is raised each season. The need for scholarships has grown from about 10% to 30% of students.

Working Together: Community Fun

Spokane Civic Theatre has about 500 volunteers. They help as actors, backstage crew, and more. They give about 90,000 hours of their time each year. Volunteers often return to help Civic again and again. The Spokane community also gives a lot of donations. These donations support the theatre and its goals.

Civic gives over 600 Main Stage tickets to other groups. These tickets help with auctions and fundraisers. Civic also hosts special benefit performances. These are for other non-profit groups. Between 4,500 and 6,000 people attend these shows. Many of them have never seen a live theatre production before.

In fall 2011, Civic started "Shakespeare in Schools." This program is free for middle and high school students and teachers. Civic's Director of Education teaches it. In the 2013-14 season, it reached about 750 students and 16 teachers. In fall 2013, a new program called "Creative Dramatics" was tested. It focused on elementary school students. It was very popular, reaching about 350 students and 14 teachers. It will now become a full program, like "Shakespeare in Schools."

In March 2014, Civic and the Spokane Symphony worked together. They performed Les Misérables live. It was at the Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox. This joint fundraiser for the three groups was a huge success.

Winning Awards: A Recognized Theatre

Spokane Civic Theatre has won about 150 awards. These are local, state, regional, and national awards. They include the Inlander's Spokie awards. They also include awards from the American Association of Community Theatres' (AACT) Festival.

At the 2011 AACTFest, Civic's show The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee won two awards. It also received three nominations. Lacey Bohnet won Best Supporting Actress. Nancy Vancil won Best Musical Accompaniment. The show was also nominated for Best Lighting Design, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Ensemble.

The city of Spokane also recognized Civic in 2007. Peter Hardie, the Technical Director, was honored. He was recognized for his continued artistic excellence. Troy Nickerson, a Resident Director, was also honored. He volunteered his time and skills to help raise money for many Spokane non-profits.