Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre

About

The Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre is Moscow's local historical theatre and has been playing films, showing live performances, and hosting social events since 1926.

Story

The Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre is Moscow's local historical theatre and has been playing films, showing live performances, and hosting social events since 1926.

Located at 508 Main Street, the Kenworthy Theatre occupies a dominant position in the very midst of downtown Moscow. Although the opening of the Kenworthy Theatre as a public theater by Milburn Kenworthy took place on January 4, 1926, parts of the building were in use as an opera house as far back as 1908.

Milburn Kenworthy purchased a Robert Morton theater pipe organ in 1927 which was used to accompany silent films. The organ is now housed at the University of Idaho Auditorium, where it has been restored to premium condition.

This brick structure was enlarged in 1928 by extending the theater southward for twenty feet. At that time, the theater was used for vaudeville and other dramatic productions and had a full but shallow stage with proscenium and fly space (see attached photos). It was also used for silent films with the placement of a screen in front of the stage and a projection booth at the back of the balcony.

A non-profit organization, Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, Inc. was formed, and in January, 2000 initiated operation and restoration of the theater.

On November 2, 2000, live theater returned to the Kenworthy after a 75 year absence. Moscow Community Theaters presented "Little Shop of Horrors" complete with the original Broadway puppet, Audrey.

Mission

The Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre is Moscow's premiere historic, downtown, community performing arts venue and cinematic art house dedicated to hosting and providing high quality arts experiences to residents of and visitors to the Palouse region.

The Kenworthy prohibits discrimination, in the entertainment and the audience, on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age.