Old Missoula

Community Theater Is Revived*

A Missoula group revived something in 1951 which went out with the arrival of the movies and talkies – the theater.

John Lester, Lee Hummel, Lee Myrdal, Ira Kittell, Glen Reznor, Francis Pattison, Nelson Luty, Fred Barclay, Laura Kittell and Gladys Trambley opened in the first season with Kaufmann and Hart’s “Man Who Came to Dinner.”

Missoula founed this type of early day entertainment was not too old-fashioned. The Missoula Community Theater grew, and amateurs became more and more professional.

For many years the plays were presented in Simpkins Little Theater on the University campus and recently at the Roxy Theater. Among the productions which have been presented are “The Drunkard,” “Arsanic and Old Lace,” “Guest in the House,” “Dark Victory,” “You Can’t Take It With You.” “Father of the Bride” and “Anniversary Waltz.”

Current president of Missoula Community Theater is Bob Ambrose.

*Sadly this organization did not last very long. According to a short Historical article from the “Shirley Smuin Missoula Community Theater Collection, 1951 – 2009” which is being held by the Archives and Special Collections department of the Mansfield Library at the University of Montana, the organization disbanded in about 1967. A link to this the Smuin Collection article appears below:

http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv62686