Editor’s note: This story first published Sept. 17, 2025, on evansvilleliving.com and is an extended version of the story appearing in November/December 2025 Evansville Living.
“I’m so excited!”
That’s the phrase Emily Durchholz repeated as she described the upcoming productions of Evansville Civic Theatre’s 100th season. The board president was equally elated about performances returning to the old Columbia Theater at Fulton Avenue and Columbia Street.
“I can’t wait to welcome everybody back,” Durchholz says. “The vibes are just so good.”
After a nearly 50-year run, ECT moved its shows to Benjamin Bosse High School in 2023 when its historic West Side building became too expensive to maintain.
“It’s a lofty thing for a nonprofit theater to try to manage,” artistic and educational director Dani Scott says.
The long-term plan was to move ECT into Veterans Memorial Coliseum once extensive renovations were finished. However, after Lucas Neuffer bought the Fulton and Columbia building in December 2024, former board president Brooke Appel and current treasurer Mackenzie Rosenbery reached out to the new owner.
“We learned that Lucas didn’t want to tear [the building] down,” Durchholz says. “(Appel and Rosenbery) led the charge to see what we could do to come up with an agreement with Lucas to make it an entertainment venue again.”
While Neuffer has completed some renovations, his new tenants have been preparing the theater for productions — like repainting the stage and organizing lumber for setbuilding — since ECT had maintained storage and office space inside the building.
“Getting this space ready again for an audience, for performances to happen, has been a huge undertaking. We’ve had lots of help from the board and volunteers in the community to clean and organize,” Durchholz says.
The 100th season, which kicks off with “Our Town” September 19-21, aims to start conversations about community.
“Finding your community, being new to the community, “ Scott says. “Looking at different scopes of what community is and how you either try to fit into that community or how you step away from the community.”
ECT also plans to host more workshops, such as monologue training and stage management.
“We just did a directing workshop that was two weekends. The people who were a part of that are now our assistant directors for the main stage this season,” Scott says.
Durchholz adds that ECT’s former home has a renewed energy, and she can’t wait for people to experience it for themselves.
“The outpouring of love we have felt has made even more magic come back to this space, our hearts, and our mission,” she says.
Season tickets are available through Sept. 28 for $60. You can find single ticket and audition information, as well as dates and times of productions, on ECT’s website.
