Who Are We
Broadwater Community Theater promotes the arts, creativity and self-expression in rural Broadwater County, Montana. We offer events ranging from Children’s Theatre & Adult Theatre plays, Queen City Swing dances, Shakespeare in the Park performances, summer theatre camp scholarships and more.
Contact us to find out more and get involved.
Break a leg!
History of Theater in the Broadwater Community
Broadwater Community Theater began its life officially in May of 2023 with a board, a meeting place and a group of very enthusiastic members.
The idea of theater in Townsend is not new. In the newly built Auditorium located at on South Spruce in 1899, home talent from the local Fire Department and the fraternal lodges gave productions. During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s Judy Williams produced twenty Townsend Rotary variety shows at the Fairgrounds. Undoubtedly there were theater productions through the years between 1900 and 1980, but no record shows in the community history book, Broadwater Bygones.
It was until the mid-1990’s that thoughts of a children’s theater formed. It began with the Fun For Life Program, a children’s theater, art, music and foreign language project built through the Ryland KM Foote Memorial Fund in 1996. The Fund was set up in memory of Ryland Foote, a fifth grader, who drowned at his family’s ranch in April of 1995.
In its 27- year history Fun For Life sponsored workshops for children K-8 to have fun learning to paint from professional artists. The Townsend Elementary children also learned music through professional musicians. They attended Grand Street Theatre Camp and language camps at Concordia College Foreign Language Center. Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry saw several of our students enjoy their programs. Once a year Fun For Life produced the Starlite Talent Show for elementary students with the help of music teacher Carla Amundson. Homeschooled children were encouraged to participate.
In 2000, Fun For Life sponsored Deep Sky studies with the Helena Sky Observatory Club and Montana State University’s star gazer group. To enhance the workshops, Fun For Life purchased large posters of photos from the newly launched Hubble Space Telescope displayed at Broadwater Community Library.
The nonprofit also provided musical instruments for students both in the classroom and individually.
Townsend School District board members and Superintendent Andrea Johnson awarded Director Nancy Marks a certificate of excellence for her work in promoting the arts in Townsend’s elementary school.
The Fun For Life had gathered several board members who were mostly interested in theater and music, so in 2023, Fun For Life as a nonprofit organization transitioned to become Broadwater Community Theater With many of the same goals as Fun For Life, BCT produces and sponsors children’s plays with local actors who performed. Both Children and adults performed in“Aladdin,” Treasure Island”” Dinner for One” and a play written and produced by President LaRinda Spencer, “Crazy Christmas Eve.”
BCT sponsors Missoula Children’s Theater when it comes to Townsend. BCT also sponsors Shakespeare in the Parks and Queen City Swing Band. The group has underwritten historical speakers including Neal Lewing of the Polson Players Theater as” Meagher of the Sword.”
BCT is funded through sponsors including Jak’s Heating and Air, Opportunity bank, Bill Kearns Estate, Townsend Rotary Club, Retired Teachers Group, STOKE, Nancy Marks, Ron and Mary Ann Salladay, Judy Schenk, Jan Hubber, Jeanne Mainwaring, John Hahn and Bob Saxby. The group has one fundraiser in March of each year. The group qualified for grants from Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, Broadwater Community Foundation, Townsend Rotary and Town Pump of Montana.
