CRT History
Place: Creede Colorado
Time: 1966
With the decline of the mines, The City of Creede
needed a new source of income and quickly,
too. The Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce)
met with pastor Jim Livingston and brainstormed
about how to secure an attraction for summer visitors
with the hope of stimulating business activity.
Pastor Livingston loved the theatre and,
out of that love, a vision for Creede was born.
They agreed to bring performances to the old opera/movie
house. But to have performances, they needed performers,
which were hard to find in the mining community.
Still determined, the Jaycees drafted a letter
and mailed it to various universities, hoping
that some excited students would answer the call
to help build a summer theatre. One of those letters
was posted on a bulletin board at the University
of Kansas. Steve Grossman, a theatre student,
saw the letter, took it down and answered it. It
was the only response the Jaycees received.
Creede Repertory Theatre circa 1960s
Under the direction of Steve Grossman (age 19),
twelve students drove from KU to Creede.
The Jaycees joined with them and with $32
in the bank, they mounted the first season.
Program ads were sold, the hardware store
established an open line of credit, and the
twelve tireless students rehearsed. When
they weren’t
rehearsing, the KU students built the scenery,
sewed the costumes, found or made props,
lit the stage and sold tickets for $1.00.
The opening show, Mr. Roberts, electrified
the Creede audience and received an enthusiastic
standing ovation. Most people in that audience
had never seen live theatre. The KU students
went on to mount four more plays: The Bat,
Our Town, The Rainmaker, and Born Yesterday (a
new play every week!) and run them all in
repertory.
This founding company of twelve established
three important keystones of CRT: a repertory
schedule, a meaningful variety of plays,
and the creation of an ensemble. This still
holds firm over 43 years later. The rotating
repertory schedule constitutes one of the most
exciting and challenging ways to present a season
of plays. It allows a visitor to Creede to
see five or six different plays in a week. Such
programming is difficult to do, however, and only
a handful of theatres in the United States currently
attempt this rigorous schedule.
Creede Repertory Theatre today
Epilogue
For over 43 seasons, visitors
and theatre practitioners alike have made
their pilgrimages to Creede for the beauty and
the artistry of the CRT. Thanks to the enthusiasm
of our patrons, there is now an extended fall season,
which plays through September. With the closing
of the Homestake Operation in 1984, Creede’s
last mine, the theatre has become the largest
summer employer—over
70 company members in 2006. The economic
goals of the Jaycees have been realized as
well. Today the CRT has an annual economic
impact of $2,749,000 locally and $4,114,000
to the state of Colorado.
CRT Housing Complex for the Company
Artistically, the CRT is growing, presenting
more acclaimed productions than ever, and gaining
greater respect and acclaim across the country.
We still dedicate ourselves to a variety of plays
in one season. As a result, over nineteen thousand
tickets were sold for CRT shows in 2006, and the
company received eleven Ovation nominations from
the Denver Post. The CRT’s educational programs
reached over 17,000 young people and adults.
We invite you to come and witness a legacy of
extraordinary theatre in an incredible setting.
