Rochester Civic Theatre

Rochester Civic Theatre

The Rochester Civic Theatre was founded in 1951 when a dedicated group of non-professional actors decided to meet and put on a show. The performers called themselves the “Log Cabin Players” because they used the Izaak Walton League Cabin as their venue. They each chipped in ten dollars of their own money and produced their first play: Moss Hart’s Light Up the Sky. The production ran for one weekend in September and it was a rousing success, netting a profit of $175. On November 7 the theatre was formally incorporated. The Rochester Civic Theatre began its three-show season with a budget of $300. A successful capital campaign ten years later provided the community with a new 300-seat theatre in a prime downtown location.

Today, the Rochester Civic Theatre is proud to be celebrating its 74th season as Rochester’s longest-running community theatre. The Civic has been an integral source of arts and culture for Rochester and southeast Minnesota. Since their founding, the Civic has evolved into an award-winning, multidisciplinary theater. In 2020, the Rochester Civic Theatre opened its doors to the non-profit performing arts community and is now home to a myriad of performing arts organizations in Rochester.