Theatre Cedar Rapids celebrates 100 years

Its been a big year for Theatre Cedar Rapids — its 100th year, in fact.

“It feels like such an accomplishment to make it 100 years,” said TCR Development Director Hannah Brewer. “I think most of us can't really even fully wrap our heads around what a century means and looks like and how much has changed in that time.”

But production after production, the show truly has gone on for a full century for TCR, and the trajectory has been nothing short of amazing.

Theatre Cedar Rapids got its start back in 1925 thanks to famed artists Grant Wood and Marvin Cone, along with some of their friends in Wood’s little studio apartment at 5 Turner Alley. “Cardboard Moon” was the first production of the “Little Theatre Movement.” Fast forward 100 years, and just last weekend thousands of people filled the TCR auditorium to watch a successful run of Disney's “Frozen.”

One of the unique initiatives TCR launched in celebration of their anniversary was an exhibition in partnership with The History Center. Running through January 2026, visitors can experience some of the history of the prominent community theater.

“The History Center’s curator did a fantastic job of pulling out our history, our background, how we got started, and some of the things we've been through to get us to this point,” said Brewer, noting visitors can see old props, costumes and other TCR memorabilia. “While it's always very fun and necessary to think about the future and where we're going, it is such a gift to have the opportunity to look back at the history and the people who have made this possible.”

“There have been ups and downs, such as the Great Depression, World War II, and then much more recently, of course, the flood of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added. “There have been lots of challenges that this community has risen to meet time and time again to make sure that live theater is something we have in Cedar Rapids.”

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The celebration on stage started on Aug. 12 with an official kick-off ceremony and plenty of confetti as staff, volunteers, patrons and supporters marked the occasion.

“I really do get emotional thinking about being a part of this moment in time and stewarding the legacy that has been forged by thousands of people before us, from every volunteer backstage, on stage, every director, lighting designer, costume designer, staff member and, board member. It's just remarkable,” Brewer said.

Brewer added the celebration continues as they focus on their $9.5 million capital campaign “Dream Here, Do Here.” Launched in September 2024, the campaign has raised more than $7 million so far. Funds are being used for building renovations for the Iowa Theatre Building, TCR’s home since 1983. Built in 1928, the building itself is nearing its own 100th birthday.

“Planning for renovations has been a multi-year process, so it's almost a little happenstance that the building kick-off was on our birthday,” Brewer said. “It worked out beautifully like that.”

Renovations began in August and is slated for completion in April 2026. Brewer said their staff and volunteers are incredibly grateful to the community’s graciousness about the construction as the season continues.

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“The project is ongoing because we are doing it in phases in order for us to be able to stay open, and we’ve worked really closely with the construction teams to map out a schedule of when things can happen,” Brewer said. “We have this gorgeous old building, but it’s old and was built strangely … It’s a theater building with a retail building around it, which presents a lot of challenges.”

One of the biggest, Brewer said, was lack of elevator accessibility (and reliability) to all floors.

“The primary goal of the construction is to merge the two buildings by taking down non-load bearing walls and creating a path from the entrance straight to an elevator,” she said.

There will also be improvements to rehearsal and gathering spaces not only for TCR’s use, but also to be a better resource for the community as a whole for other rehearsals, meetings and events.

Patrons will see improvements to the auditorium too — once this season wraps up next summer — including a fresh coat of paint and new auditorium seating. Stage and rigging upgrades will enhance production possibilities as well as TCR looks to their next century.

“With our space being a little easier, we want to enhance and increase our educational offerings,” Brewer added. “We do have a goal of turning one of the spaces into primarily a children's theater that's designed for even younger audiences, shorter productions that are written specifically for children under seven.”

Marking such a special occasion for the organization and focusing on renovations for the future is helping TCR lean into the role it plays in the arts in Eastern Iowa.

“A big part of our philosophy, especially in the last few years, has been to make sure that theater is for everyone,” Brewer said. “We are trying to do a better job of making sure people of all backgrounds, races, creeds, and ethnicities are represented on our stage. We want to tell more diverse stories as we can cast them appropriately. And we want to expose as many people as we can to theater because you just never know what spark it might create for somebody.

“You just never know who's going to walk out of there thinking, ‘Maybe I could do that someday. Maybe I could be on stage. Maybe I could be a musician in the pit. Maybe I could design a set like that or make costumes.’ Or maybe they think, ‘This is a place I belong and this is something I like to enjoy, to come and be in the audience and partake in it and enjoy that time to escape or to think about someone else's perspective.’ It just has so much power in it. And I very much appreciate that we have that here locally.”

Whether seeing a show this season or talking to current staff, board members or volunteers, it’s clear there’s a curtain of pride draped over everyone connected with TCR.

“It's hard to not be extremely proud of all of the people who have come before us who have made this place possible,” Brewer said. “We're one of the largest community theaters in the country, and it's really meaningful to be a part of that legacy. I cannot emphasize enough that everyone who's ever bought a ticket or been on our stage, made a donation or worked behind the scenes, that they're all a part of that legacy, because this community has really come to bat for this place many, many times.”

If history is any indication, it’s likely the community will continue to do so for TCR’s next 100 years.