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| A History of BCT - By Robert Montgomery | |||
| Bremerton Community Theatre started life as part of a drama program intended to put a little meaning into the lives of the crowd of war-workers drawn to the Navy Yard during the war. The City of Bremerton had expanded from about 15,000 population in 1939 to an estimated 75,000 by 1943. This was a small town with lots of strangers, living in make-shift quarters. Many became homesick, or bored, and started to wander back home. The federal government allotted money to cities like Bremerton to pay for recreation programs - anything to keep the war workers busy and on the job. Some of that money was allocated to the City Park and Recreation Department for an amateur drama program, and a drama director was hired. | |||
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The Beginning (1944) Program for BCT's First Full Length Play "My Sister Eileen" Directed by: Eddie Hammond (BCT Founder) Pictures from the The Early Years Bremerton Community Theatre History Scrapbooks, Posters and Programs A Decade of Drama Twenty Years Behind the Footlights |
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Our "NEW" Theatre is now over 42 years old |
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It seems only yesterday that we were able to open this new theatre building, with a real stage, rigging, dressing rooms, and...it's a real theatre... On May 6, 1976 our new theatre finally opened with the play The Patriots. It was our 124th play since Community Theatre began operating in 1944. But we had finally moved from improvised facilities in a little wooden building at 12th & Broadway, to a new building actually built to be a theatre from the start. We had operated for 30 years in a little theatre seating 72 people, with a stage only 16' square. Now here we were with a new building, 192 theatre seats for our audience, and a 25' deep stage with a fancy stage rigging system. The previous weeks had been a nightmare of activity for theatre members. Construction had been going on since July of the previous year. We even had thieves steal building material so that the building stood with 60' of wall missing until new components could be shipped from Texas. Our own theatre members completed the theatre equipment installation. The last 2 weeks saw a beehive of activity as a crew of PSNS shipfitters, welders, and mechanics joined theatre members in installing the rigging system from the Seattle Orpheum, while another group was busy bolting seats (from Seattle's Music Hall) to the new floor. In the meantime other crews were building new scenery for The Patriots, while rehearsals were going on in the old theatre and any other place we could find to accommodate us. Some of our work went on into the early morning hours. Our production of The Patriots (by Sidney Kingsley) was our contribution to the celebration of the United States' 200th birthday. The interior of the theatre was barely completed when the audience arrived. Wall insulation hung from the rafters, we had a bare concrete floor, and we had improvised our light control panel from our little old theatre. But it was the start for the best theatre in the west. Our new addition to BCT— the Robert B. Stewart Performance Hall is a black box theatre. It is named for one of BCT’s most ardent supporters. Robert B. Stewart who generously gifted Bremerton Community Theatre with $250K to build this addition, but Mr. Stewart’s dedication to BCT goes back many years. Mr. Stewart was instrumental in assisting BCT through all the permits and approvals needed to build our current facility. Mr. Stewart has not only been an avid BCT patron and supporter, but has even acted on our stage, in See How They Run and The Girls of 509. |
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| Play List: Seasons 1 thru 67 | |||
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Bremerton Community Theatre Bylaws Please Click HERE to view the BCT Bylaws |
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Bremerton Community Theatre, Inc. |