Established in 1891, the Philipsburg Theatre is the oldest operating theatre in the state of Montana.
Over these last 130 years, the theatre has survived through times of war, pandemic, economic disaster and seen Philipsburg blossom, decline and rebloom.
Through it all, Philipsburg Theatre has been a place for people to experience the joy and catharsis that the performing arts can provide.
Live theater 1891-1930s
The McDonald Opera House opened in 1891 and served to entertain the mining towns of Philipsburg and Granite with live theatre through the 1920s. This was the heyday of live theatre and The Opera House had huge casts, full orchestras and played to packed houses on a regular basis.
The Granada
Beginning in the 1930s, movies and film took centerstage for entertainment across the country, and Philipsburg was no exception. From the 1930s through the end of the 20th century, movies were the primary offering at the Opera House. Known as The Granada at this time, many people in Philipsburg have fond memories of formative experiences involving hand holding, going on dates and seeing great films like Jaws, ET, The Titanic and other classics from the late 20th century.
surviving/ reinventing
In the early 1980s, recognized pianist Andrew Crow acquired the property and saved it from demolition, later selling it to Tim Dringle, who along with his wife Claudette made great advances to restoring the theater back to its original splendor. Tim and Claudette brought back live theatre from 1998 - 2019. In this time period, The Opera House Theater Company developed a large and devoted following through their highly acclaimed summertime productions.
A non-profit Community theatre
In fall of 2019, the Philipsburg Theatre, a non-profit organization, was created and began a 10 year lease as the sole tenant of the Opera House. The Philipsburg Theatre offers movies, live music, live theatre, community and special events throughout the year. We are dedicated to helping Philipsburg thrive as a dynamic, fun place for visitors and locals to enjoy.
“Preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future””