Cinephreak Pictures helps celebrate Evansville Civic Theatre’s 100th season opening with Our Town

Evansville Civic Theatre is celebrating a milestone: its 100th season. To mark the occasion, the curtain rises on Thornton Wilder’s timeless classic Our Town, and Cinephreak Pictures is proud to have played a part in bringing this historic moment to life.

Cinephreak’s own Emily Jean Durchholz — an Evansville native, award-winning actor, and producer — currently serves as president of Evansville Civic Theatre. For Durchholz, helping guide the organization back into its longtime home, the historic Columbia Theatre at Fulton and Columbia, is a full-circle moment.

“It has that energy of anticipation, like anything can happen here,” Durchholz said. “Some people might say, ‘the theater is my church.’ This feels like that kind of a space — something big has happened here, something important, something sacred. And now we get to have that back.”

Durchholz’s connection to the theater goes back nearly 15 years, when she first performed there as a teenager. Later, when financial challenges forced ECT to move productions out of the building, she feared the space might be lost forever. Joining the board gave her a new perspective and the chance to help lead its return.

“When we realized we could open Season 100 back in this space, there were tears at those meetings,” she said. “The outpouring of love has brought even more magic back to this building, our hearts, and our mission.”

Cinephreak Pictures is proud to help promote the 100th season of the Evansville Civic Theatre.

A play about community, for the community

First staged in 1938, Our Town explores everyday relationships, memory, and the fleeting moments we often overlook. Durchholz says its themes are just as relevant today.

“There’s a moment where one of the characters says, ‘We don’t have time to look at each other.’ That really builds throughout the play. It might seem a little on the nose with a title like Our Town, but it’s truly community-centered and community-focused. People are going to see themselves in this story.”

For Evansville Civic Theatre, that community spirit extends offstage as well. With only one paid staff member, the theater depends on its board and volunteers to make each season possible. University of Evansville students, local businesses, and neighbors have all pitched in to restore the Columbia Theatre and prepare it for audiences again.

“Whenever you put effort into something, especially a community space, it will give back,” Durchholz said. “That energy gets paid forward.”

Cinephreak Pictures connection

The crossover between Cinephreak Pictures and Evansville Civic Theatre doesn’t stop with Durchholz’s leadership. Cinephreak also produced the official trailer for Our Town, helping to promote this landmark season and extend the story beyond the stage.

“We can only exist if people come and people give their time,” Durchholz said, “and then we are able to make art that then gives back.”

For Durchholz, creating the trailer was another way of giving back — using film to amplify the theatre’s reach and celebrate its return to the Columbia Theater. By blending her work with Cinephreak Pictures and her leadership role at ECT, she underscores the shared mission of building community through art.

See Our Town

Evansville Civic Theatre’s 100th season opens with Our Town Sept. 19–21 and Sept. 26–28 at 717 N. Fulton Ave. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets and season information are available at www.evvcivic.org.