WHITEFISH THEATRE CO

The Whitefish Theatre Company (WTC) was founded in 1978 to bring live theatre to the area and give community members the opportunity to act in theatre productions. WTC has grown from producing only 2 theatre shows a year to showcasing 10 theatre productions, 6 music concerts, 9 outreach performances, and 5 children’s workshops on an annual basis. WTC’s varied season appeals to residents and visitors alike, making a positive difference in the artistic livability of Whitefish over the past four decades. In 1994, WTC built the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center, the only year-round performing arts center in NW MT. In 2015, WTC upgraded the facility’s theatre, as well as expanded rehearsal and storage space. WTC has 3 full-time and 4 part-time staff and nearly 500 volunteers.

Whitefish, MT has a population of 7,070 and is located in Flathead County that has a population of 103,800. Given that northwest MT is geographically isolated from cultural centers like Seattle and Denver, this area is often culturally underserved, particularly for unique world music shows. For this reason, WTC events attract people from a 200-mile radius. Over 10 years, this area has grown over 30%, shifting from a resource-based to a healthcare and tourism economy. Despite this growth, county median income remains below the national average at $56,182, 36.2% of our student population qualifies for free/reduced lunch, and residents are truly rural with only 19.9 people/mi2. The underserved populations that we target are rural community members who are often underexposed to the arts, as well as seniors, veterans, adults with disabilities, and rural youth who have limited means to see live theatre and music performances.