The Broken Arrow Community Playhouse’s mission is to provide quality theatrical experiences for the community.
The theater, located at 1800 S. Main St. is the city’s oldest live theater for performing arts and has been entertaining audiences since 1980.
Broken Arrow Community Playhouse (BACP) Board Member Steve Cowen said the organization’s first performances were from a barn on Main Street in the AVB Bank parking lot.
"Then, we moved to a location at an industrial park on Memphis Street,” Cowen said. “We were there for several years, and then in 1995, the city allowed us to move in here, and we have a great facility from which to perform.”
The current facility is a former church building that’s divided between the BACP and the Broken Arrow Senior Center.
“The city actually brought this facility to us,” Cowen said. “So, we are very appreciative of what the city has done. They’ve given us a great, great venue.”
Cowen says having their own theater sets them apart from other community theater organizations.
“We can rehearse in our performance space. A lot of theaters around can’t do that; they have to rehearse somewhere else because of the venue, but the city has been very generous with us in allowing us to use this,” he said.
While the city owns and maintains the theater itself, BACP is the user group in charge of running the theater and keeping it clean.
“We provide an entertaining, safe place for people to come and see a show,” Cowen says.
As one of the city’s user groups, BACP is requesting funding from the 2026 General Obligation bond for a set of four trusses. The hand-cranked trusses would bring the stage lights within reach from the vaulted ceilings for work and adjustments.
Incoming BACP President Janet Brister told the City Council on June 18 that the playhouse is currently renting a lift or portable scaffolding to adjust their stage lights due to their location.
“If you want to know why you should vote for this bond issue, come to the Broken Arrow Community Playhouse,” Cowen said. “You’ll see what goes on here. Not only on stage, but we can even talk to you about what goes on backstage. You can even volunteer with us. So, there are opportunities for you to see your tax dollars at work, and you can become a part of that.”
Cowen says what makes it special is that it is a group of community volunteers coming together to perform and create art. Some are actors and performers, some are playwrights, directors, stagehands, and lighting people. It takes a wide range of skill sets to make production work.
Each year, the BACP performs five shows, with each play performed six times over two weekends. They also host a playwriting festival and a summer kids camp.
“But, yeah, the generosity of the city has been fabulous,” Cowen said. “We can’t be more appreciative. Our patrons who have attended our shows over the last 20, 30, 40 years are still buying tickets.”
The volunteer performers and stagehands are from Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas.
“It’s not just the Broken Arrow community,” Cowen said. "We have people come from Muskogee, Tulsa, and all around the area. So, we reach out and have several other cities come in with individuals and get involved in this.”
And the performers and stagehands come to the community theater with varying levels of experience.
“They may happen to be roofers, or CPAs, a journalist, or something like that,” Cowen said. “Maybe they haven’t had a chance to really develop their skills, but they come, and they learn. You can grow here as a performer.”
People who get involved in community theater often love to perform or enjoy running lights or sound. Over time, though, relationships are established, and it becomes a real community.
“It’s like anything; you get involved in an organization for self-interest, but you stay involved because of the interest you develop with other people and get to know them,” Cowen said. “Of course, it’s still getting to perform your task or your love for the arts, whatever it may be, whether you’re a musician, or a dancer, or whether you want to dance or sing—it gives you a chance to fulfill your passions.”
