It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon in early September, and Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St., is quieter than most patrons will ever see it. Lenny Bart, the theater’s new artistic director, sits in an oversized leather chair in the lobby, his reading glasses dangling around his neck, and he’s positioned in front of a glass case displaying the theater’s many awards.
“Having run other large community theaters and being involved with the American Association of Community Theatre, I had always been aware of the national stature this organization has,” Bart said. “As we look at all the first place awards we have here” – he gestures to the case behind him – “we’re now the most awarded (theater) in our circuit.”
While attending Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University, Bart was accepted into the National Shakespeare Conservatory in Manhattan, where he later worked as a producing director. (The company folded in 1998.) He also toured as an actor with the company from the mid- to late ’80s.
Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/oct/02/spokane-civic-theatre-kicks-off-its-70th-year-with/
