Theatre HIstory
Lewiston Civic Theatre shows played in the Porthouse in downtown Lewiston, beginning in 1964. The Porthouse no longer stands, due to constant water damage from the tides of the Snake River, which were known to flood - but not cancel a show.
The award winning Lewiston Civic Theatre has been housed in a historic sandstone Methodist Church since 1972 and is now called the Anne Bollinger Performing Arts Center. Our new home was named after renowned opera singer Anne Bollinger, a Lewiston native whose golden voice once filled such great stages as Carnegie Hall, the Hamburg Opera House, and, of course, our own.
The building was constructed in 1904 and contains 20 stained glass windows. A stipulation of the sale back in 1972, was for the Civic Theatre to preserve and care for these windows originally created for the church. In fact, we once shared the building with the church, when it was first purchased. Some patrons still remember the rousing sermon that was delivered through the sunroof of a VW Beetle, part of the set of "The Me Nobody Knows," our very first production here! It was placed on the National Historic Register in 1980. On August 10, 2016, the Anne Bollinger Performing Arts Center was condemned. Water infiltration over the years on the building has caused structural issues. The Lewiston Civic Theatre continues with their rehearsals and shows at alternate sites.
Activities: This non profit group produces five to seven main stage shows during its season which runs from September to June. Each summer a Children’s Workshop is conducted along with classes through our Acting Out Youth Program.
Box Office Hours
Open Monday - Friday 3 - 6 PM