Front Row Center co-host Lauren Korn chats with the Myrna Loy’s new Executive Director, Benji Cosgrove (who is no stranger to the theater and has worked there in a number of different roles since 2005) about upcoming events and what audiences in Helena can expect in 2024, including mental health and arts education for elementary schools and new theater seats!
The Myrna Loy is a community cultural center and theater in Helena, Montana.
From the Myrna’s website:
In 1976, intrepid film lovers Arnie Malina and Alexandra Swaney, along with a partner, created the Helena Film Society to bring alternative cinema to our small city. They converted Blanche Judge’s dance studio, on the second floor of a historic downtown building, into Second Story Cinema—“where the movies were always great and the popcorn often burned.” Between films they hosted various community arts projects, live theatre, poetry, satirical revues, multimedia, and musical events.
Within a few years, Arnie began presenting innovative works by culturally diverse artists from around the nation. World-class artists started performing on Helena stages, carrying on Helena’s history as a cultural hotspot in the remote rural West.
By the late 1980s we needed a new home. When the 1894 Lewis and Clark County Jail closed, the entire Helena community helped transform the historic granite jailhouse into a vibrant arts center. They named the new center after actress Myrna Loy, who grew up down the street. Myrna Loy’s grace, wit, creative artistry, social activism, and humor inspires all of us at the Myrna Loy every day.
Learn more about the Myrna’s educational programs here.
Learn more about live performances and to purchase tickets here.
