Bubba the Cowboy Prince - Midwest Theater

When "Bubba the Cowboy Prince" was performed in Scottsbluff in March of 2002 the audience was treated to not only a terrific show, but also a wonderful theater in which to watch the play. Scottsbluff's Midwest Theater is one of Nebraska's true historic venues and has charmed audiences since opening in 1946. The two-storied rectangular building has a Modernistic architectural style that visitors to Scottsbluff can't help but point out as they travel down Broadway.

Designed by architect Charles D. Strong the Midwest Theater was added to the National Historic Registry in 1997 and recently received a grant to renovate the grand marquee which dominates the front of the structure. The theater seats over 700 people and has been used for concerts, plays, and second run movies. The stage area is nearly 45 feet across and presents quite a challenge to young actors such as those who took part in the performance of "Bubba the Cowboy Prince".

Susan Selvey, who wrote and produced the stage version of "Bubba" explained some of the difficulties the children faced while acting in such a huge area. "They had to learn how to use body mics and it was quite a challenge for them to be in that space. There's also a huge white movie screen behind the actors and there's not a lot you can do about it visually." Selvey said the actors were able to cope with the problems that the large Midwest Theater presents and in the end the people who came to see the production loved it. Selvey also said the Midwest Theater still beats the Foothills Theater previous performance area. "We used to perform at the Arts Center and we had about 125 kids sitting on the floor and in folding chairs in a kind of black box space. So then two years ago we started performing [at the Midwest Theater] and it's worked out really well."

Check out the Midwest Theater as well as many other Scotts Bluff County historic landmarks at the Nebraska National Register Sites in Scotts Bluff County.

You may also want to visit the Midwest Theater's reference at the National Register of Historic Places.

And for all you cinema buffs out there check out the following list of Nebraska historic theaters at Cinema Treasures.