| Arrow Rock Lyceum Theater | |
| Artisticdirector: | Quin Gresham |
| Formed: | 1961 |
| Location: | 114 High Street, Arrow Rock, Missouri 65320 |
| Homepage: | https://lyceumtheatre.org/ |
| Capacity: | 416 |
The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre is a regional Equity theater in Arrow Rock, Missouri.[1] Opening in 1961, the theatre is located in an historic church building within the Arrow Rock Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District. The 416-seat auditorium host over 33,000 patrons a year,[2] [3] and is Missouri's oldest professional regional theater.[4]
The theater was created in 1961, and for its first season performed three nineteenth century plays on a budget of 3,500 dollars.[5] The venue was originally a "1872 Gothic Revival Style" Baptist Church, whose congregation had consolidated with others in town and no longer used the building. Two families, the Lawrences and the Argubrights co-owned the building and offered to let it be used as a theater. Henry Swanson, a professor at Columbia College was the first artistic director. In 1993, the theatre underwent a renovation project to expand the capacity of the venue.[6] In 2004, the theater's dormitory was damaged by a fire. The community provided housing for the cast for the following three seasons. In 2019, the theatre was the first in the state to receive the “Missouri Historical Theatre” designation.[7] The theatre celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021.