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By Denise Malloy
When it opened in 1934 as the only movie house for miles around, the Fort Peck Theatre played films all day every day, and all night, too. Its 1,000-plus seats filled showing after showing with many of the thousands of workers and other Depression-era "boomers" who settled on Montana’s northeastern plains during construction of massive Fort Peck Dam.
Although most dam workers and their families eventually moved on, the theater is still booming, thanks to the Fort Peck Fine Arts Council, which from the 1970s through the ’90s restored the structure and enlarged the stage to hold live shows. Theatergoers now visit from across the West.
"We draw on regional talent and also bring in professionals," says Patt Etchart, the council’s executive director. "If you’re in Missoula or Laramie, sure, the theater’s far away–but we offer an evening of superior entertainment." The Sound of Music opens June 15, followed by Cats, Westside Story, and The Nerd. (406) 526-9943, www.fortpecktheatre.org.
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