The theater scene around the Treasure Valley is bursting at the seams with a little something for everybody. Rip-roaring musicals and drama. Comedies and the works of William Shakespeare. Educational opportunities and theater for youth. The closer one looks, the more there is to find.
And this is only scraping the surface of what a growing valley has to offer in terms of experiencing theater.
Theater performances stretch from Boise to Garden City and beyond. New groups and companies continue to pop up while old companies are going strong. For some, this includes updating existing spaces.
All told, there is a variety of theater to check out around the Treasure Valley.
Professional, paying, & playing fiercely
We start out on this trek with two professional theater companies in the valley, Boise Contemporary Theater (BCT) and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF).
ISF has been entertaining audiences since 1977, when they first performed in downtown Boise. The company moved around to various locations before finding their permanent home at the ISF Amphitheater and Reserve in 1998.
Productions run from May through the end of September, highlighted by a mix of Shakespeare and other classic plays, with a musical or two tossed in. The company also has two touring companies in the winter and spring months (Shakespearience and Idaho Theater for Youth) that perform at schools around the state of Idaho. Plus, educational opportunities are available, and a highly touted apprentice program takes the stage every summer.
Education opportunities and classes, for both youth and adults, are also available at BCT.
BCT has been a Treasure Valley staple since 1996, performing shows at various locations before moving into their home on Fulton Street in 2000. BCT hosts a variety of events throughout the year, with four to five productions, 5X5 reading series, and the BIPOC playwrights festival.
Going strong since 2008, Alley Repertory Theater is the premier professional theater in Garden City (at their home Visual Arts Collective). Led by co-founder and artistic director Buffie Main, Alley Rep connects diverse artists, audiences, and the community with contemporary plays, well-known musicals (Cabaret, Hair), and Christmas extravaganzas (Golden Girls Christmas, Jodi Sings Judy). In playing fiercely, Alley Rep strives to produce quality, innovative theater.
The Boise Bard Players may not have a permanent home in the classic sense, but the company packs audiences in. This crew, founded by Chris Canfield, has been going ten years strong. The company, with four to six productions annually, travels to various locations (indoors and outdoors) around the Treasure Valley and Mountain Home. The Boise Bard Players also have a "No More Starving Artists" mission and recently started to offer classes
Treasure Valley theater staples
Some say Boise Little Theater was the first structure established when settlers drifted into the area, exclaiming, "hey! Look at this beautiful river and majestic mountains. Let us do theater here!"
The truth is that BLT has been entertaining Treasure Valley audiences since 1948 and is one of the volunteer-organized community theaters in the nation. Boise Little Theater brings productions to the stage year-round and in addition to the main auditorium, has an intimate black box stage hosting productions and readings.
Over at the Stage Coach Theatre, productions have been going strong since 1981. This community theater, like other companies around the valley, has performed has various locations since its inception. They have performed in their current home (the building that once housed Dino's Bar and Grill) for over decade, bringing to the stage a lovely mix of musicals, comedies, and dramas.
Speaking of musicals, Music Theatre of Idaho has been producing this genre since 1997. With performances at the Nampa Civic Center, this company brings affordable Broadway musicals to the stage and offers dance classes, audition prep packages, and private lessons in a variety of disciplines.
Theater for youth and more education
Classes and theater education are at the heart of Treasure Valley Children's Theater. From beginning to advanced (and everyone between), TVCT has educational opportunities in acting, improv, and movement (to name a few). The company also produces theater for youth, making a night out at the theater a family affair.
Over in the college realm, Boise State University and The College of Idaho both have outstanding theater programs. Each school has anywhere from two to four mainstage productions between September and May. Boise State theater productions occur mostly in the Danny Peterson Theatre, with the occasional musical produced at the Morrison Center.
The College of Idaho has a variety of performance venues, among them a black box theatre, an outdoor amphitheater, and 850-seat proscenium house
All told, there are plenty of opportunities to catch theater around the Treasure Valley, on a year-round basis. And this article contains only a taste, with recent years adding companies like Eagle Theatre Company and The Luminary. No matter if you visit only one or all, do not miss your chance to check out all the wonderful theater produced in the Treasure Valley!
*See a complete list of troupes and upcoming shows in the Arts Boise - Theater/Performing Arts section. Don't see your company (or one you know of) listed? Email artsboise1@gmail.com and we'll get you on there!
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