Foundation seeks to revitalize the Rex Theater in Priest River

By Reader Staff

It has been almost 100 years — exactly — since the Rex Theater opened its doors in 1923 in the historic Beardmore Block of Priest River. In its day, the space played host to the films of pioneering female director Nell Shipman (who premiered her film Grubstake there prior to its national release), and continued on to serve as the home of numerous performances and films through the 1950s. 

Though by then renamed the Roxy, the theater went dark and remained so for decades, but a local effort has been underway since 2019 to revive it, with the mission of “bring[ing] additional art, culture and commerce” to the region, according to members of the Rex Theater Foundation.

As the Rex Theater approaches its centenary, the nine-member non-profit foundation is underscoring that goal of restoring, preserving and operating the once-and-future performing arts institution for future generations.  

The current state of the Rex Theater, as seen from the stage. Courtesy photo.

Present efforts include continuing the organization’s development, stabilizing the building, planning for future programming and renovation, grant research, fundraising, website redesign and establishing working committees. 

Over the past several years, the board and consultants have developed preliminary design studies and architectural drawings for the theater renovation. Board President Chad Summers and his crew also recently completed the clean-up of debris from the old theater while saving historical artifacts. 

The plan is for a 250-occupant theater with a stage, flexible seating and balcony designed to accommodate a variety of events. The theater will include enhanced acoustics and state-of-the-art audio-visual and recording equipment. The theater will be available as a community-based resource for use by schools, community organizations, businesses and individuals — and will complement the existing Priest River Event Center. 

“Smaller than the event center and focused on live performance, the Rex will be a showcase for local, regional and occasionally national performance acts, and will host a wide variety of live events,” organizers stated, though “successful fundraising efforts are required for this project to succeed.” 

As for the timeline, the foundation envisions a four-year plan to raise funds through a combination of grants and corporate and individual donations to fund the rehabilitation and develop operations for the theater.

Foundation board members include Summers as president, Vice President John Naccarato, Secretary/Treasurer Katlyn Ward and six community members. Additional board members and volunteers are welcomed.

“Revitalizing the theater has been a longtime goal of many community members and the time is right to make this happen,” the board stated. 

For more information, visit rextheater.org and beardmoreblock.com/the-building.html.