City theatre was formed in the late summer of 1980. There are a few articles below about our history. Our history is rich in community involvement some of our endeavors include; 'Chorus Time' (a singing troupe for various community functions), a reader's theatre hour, the children's Enchanted Forest (a halloween adventure with the Independence Parks and Recreation), our annual food booth at the Independence Arts and Crafts show and our involvement with the Santa-Cali-Gon festival. In addition, we held annual kite flying contests, an annual Christmas and 'Spiriting' party (to heighten our Christmas spirits) and at one time we fielded a volleyball team.
The City Theatre of Independence, (in association with the Independence Parks and Recreation Service) performs their plays in the Powerhouse Theater (named such in 1991, other suggestions included; The Old Spring Theater and The Pioneer Playhouse), located in the Sermon Center at the SE corner of Truman and Noland roads. In our 20 plus years we have performed well over 100 plays from standards to the original and unique (we once killed off city officials in 'Death by Chocolate') we have also staged over 25 musicals. Our first production was, 'Plaza Suite' on July 17th, 1980. The first organizational meeting of City Theatre was on August 19th, 1980 (the first of many that would follow).
C.T.I. played host to the first ever MOACT (Missouri Association of Community Theatres) festival in 2002 and won the 2003 Best Play and Best Director (Nancy Eppert) awards.
The membership of C.T.I. has grown from the 20 members listed at the first meeting to over 400 members in our last City Theatre Directory.
Through the years City Theatre has become more than just a playhouse, we have become a gathering place for people of various backgrounds and experiences to join together in friendship and the like goal of making our community a better place. Please feel free to attend one of our company meetings and become a part of our proud history.