Salida Theater Project

Salida Theater Project Brings Stories to Life in the Heart of the Rockies

2026 has been an incredible year for us! We've shown how messy democracy is (The Minutes), presented a new Shakespeare-inspired comedy (So It May Seem), staged a funny mystery (Clue), and brought to life a drama about trust and doubt (Proof). Salida Theater Project has also held important conversations with the community, such as Roland McCook (Ute tribe leader and educator) talking about the concept of "home" and his experiences. 

STP has gone beyond sharing stories and holding important conversations with Salidans; we're bringing out-of-town tourists to see our plays. We're playing an instrumental role in supporting Salida's community and economy.  

Thanks to our audiences, volunteers, partners, board, staff, crew, and cast, as well as the entire Salida community. YOU made this possible!    

Help us keep up the momentum.

2027 Goals 

In 2027, we want to keep bringing in new audiences, including Salida residents and tourists. Providing evening entertainment for our community and tourists can help Salida thrive, as tourism supports our local businesses and economy. We'd like to continue performing the shows you want to see with meaningful conversations. And we have amazing talent we'd like to spotlight. That's why we have the following goals:

• Expand our staff and make a bigger impact in our community. To do this, we'd love to ...

  • Offer more paid opportunities to our community. Many companies give stipends to their cast and crew; Salida Theater Project would like to do the same, sustainably. Currently, most of the people involved with STP are volunteers. They're putting in many hours, absolutely free. Having a sustainable organization includes having a staff and paying people for their time. Paying people also supports our local economy. 

  • Partner with more of our community. Our goal is to work with more businesses to support the local economy. We'll be seeking more grants and fundraising opportunities. We'd also like to invite more members of our community to see our plays; getting newcomers in the door is crucial to our organization’s long-term success. 

  • Continue holding important conversations. Theatre entertains, provokes thought, evokes emotion, sparks creativity, and educates. Our mission is to keep doing all of these things. These regular, meaningful conversations enrich our community. 

• Produce shows you want to see and expand our services. We want to do more. Currently, our operating budget is about $24,000. That gives us little room for anything extra, including paying our volunteer cast and crew. It also doesn't let us expand what we're doing: teach classes or produce the most exciting plays, where copyright costs can exceed $10,000. If we had $80,000 coming in regularly, we could pay staff, actors, crew, and expand what we're doing for Salidans, including our youth.      

• Deepen our commitment to Salida youth. We've created internships, which have proven successful. Cole Shively is a great example. (Thank you, Cole!) We want to develop deeper relationships with our schools to support more young talent in Salida. Vander Ritchie and Jay Lobeck are fantastic examples of the local talent we have in Salida. We'd like to offer more opportunities for young people to get involved in theatre and stay in Salida. 

• Help A Church. We care about our community. That's why we raise money for the theatre we call home. It's also home to many other organizations. Last year, you helped us make A Church more comfortable by adding heating and cooling. This year, we want audiences to see A Church shows, including ours, more clearly by adding modern stage lighting.   

 “The heART of human expression.”