Richland Players: Local theater launches grand renovation as it turns 75

A place to be entertained. A place to be creative. A place many have called their second home. A theater for the community, by the community. 2019 and 2020 marked 75 years of the live theater at the Richland Players. It has been a time of celebration and reflection for the theater and the thousands whom have walked through as volunteers and patrons over the decades.

With the advent of our 75th season came the beginning of a grand renovation project with aims to rejuvenate our historical theater. Our reflections on our building's and organization's history helped to inspire visions of our future.

At the halfway point of the 75th season, we had already replaced the main HVAC unit, installed a new roof and improved ventilation. By the time the renovation is complete, every space in the theater will be impacted. The renovation will not just improve and beautify the building, but also allow the Richland Players to better showcase the thriving and ever-evolving arts of our community.

We have partnered with designers and leaders who specialize in connecting art and social impact initiatives, with goals of expanding and diversifying our programs and connecting the performance arts with more Eastern Washington residents.

Since the beginning, the Richland Players sought to bring laughter and the arts to a then isolated community, allowing for local citizens to directly connect with each other through the shared experience of live theater. As the area evolved in its demographics and culture, so too did the Players evolve in their repertoire and vision to reflect a changing community.

At the Richland Players, it has been the personal experiences that we have been the most proud of. Connecting the life-enriching power of art with the community has forged friendships, built memories and sparked creativity. With the renovation, we look to expand accessibility to the performing arts to a wider and ever-evolving Mid-Columbia Region.

This 75th season we honored our past by doing a retrospective look back, showcasing plays done in each era of our theater history from its inception in 1944. With the final production, “These Shining Lives,” by Melanie Marnich (opening in May), the theater looks forward by producing a play never performed at the theater and written within the past decade.

As the Richland Players closes its 75th Diamond Anniversary Season in June, another chapter is already unfolding. Visit the theater now and help shape its evolving story as we kick off another 75 years at one of our five-plus main-stage productions or events.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Richland Players: Local theater launches grand renovation as it turns 75."