In the fall of 1933, a temporary metropolis unfolded in northeast Montana. Unlike the boomtowns of the century prior, men came clamoring not for gold but for government-subsidized jobs. FDR’s New Deal had provided a path forward for unemployed Americans, and of the many construction projects sanctioned by the program, Fort Peck Dam was among the most substantial. By 1936, upwards of 10,000 workers and their families inhabited the area.
When the dam opened in 1940, that number quickly began to decline.
By 1970, the Army Corps of Engineers—the agency that literally built the town—was ready to pull out entirely.
Among the domiciles and other structures that the government was prepared to let go was the Fort Peck Theatre. Built in 1934, the theatre was intended to be a temporary complex—a 24-hour movie house to serve the community until the dam’s completion. As the building began to fall into disrepair, a group was formed to save, restore, and refocus it. The Fort Peck Fine Arts Council began renting it as a live performing playhouse in 1970, and in 1987, they bought it outright.
Patt’s daughter, Christen Etchart, certainly appreciates the opportunities the Fort Peck Theatre has afforded her. She got hooked on drama at age eight, playing a munchkin in the theatre’s production of The Wizard of Oz.
Christen performed every summer at the playhouse until she left for college, where she earned a degree in acting and directing. She spent the next several years building her résumé before returning home to the place that first sparked her passion for theatre.
Over the years, the Fine Arts Council has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to sustain the Fort Peck Theatre’s vitality. The incredible playhouse is a treasure in itself, and its talent is similarly impressive.
Seventy percent of Fort Peck Theatre’s visitors come from outside Valley County. License plates from across Montana are represented in the parking lot. Tour buses shuttle people in from Canada and Williston. The playhouse’s reputation precedes it.
On June 28-30, 2019, the Fort Peck Theatre will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a reunion. Christen, who serves as the reunion coordinator, says they’re planning for a full weekend of festivities that will honor the playhouse’s history. Paid company members from throughout the years have been invited to attend (and perform) at this celebration, and the theatre anticipates that its production of Mama Mia (showing throughout the weekend) will pack the house.
“What it has to offer our area and the people that live here is incredible,” says Patt.