Spokane Valley Summer Theatre cancels 2026 season

The Spokane Valley Summer Theatre is canceling its 2026 season after its planned show dates could not be guaranteed by the Central Valley School District, which provides the venues for the productions.

The theater does not have a permanent home but has recently used University High School for its performances. This year, that plan crumbled.

The theater announced its 2026 season featuring three musicals and nine summer camps after one donor sent money that would cover the Central Valley School District’s 500% rental increase. After that donation, the theater secured and paid for dates it would need for rehearsals, performances and camps at University High School.

But during the last few weeks, the district canceled some of the dates the theater had requested and informed the theater that none of the dates they requested could be guaranteed for theatre use, according to an announcement sent by Spokane Valley Summer Theatre founder and executive artistic director Yvonne Johnson.

“Without guarantees of dates and times, it is not realistic and an enormous financial/operational risk for SVST to plan a summer 2026 season at UHS. No theatre in the country can operate or plan without date and location guarantees,” Johnson wrote in a news release.

According to Tanya Conklin, a spokesperson for Central Valley School District, the theater at University High could not accommodate the dates requested because of previous wear and tear on the theater. The dates and times requested by SVST also conflicted with some student programing, Conklin said.

“The only scheduling changes that the district made in this request for community facility use next summer were to prioritize the high school theater’s student use,” Conklin said. “Our schools, especially in recent years, have consistently sought ways to engage students year-round, and we must prioritize their use of school facilities.”

Johnson said that the University and Central Valley High School theatres are the only ones that fit SVST’s needs.

Central Valley has partnered with SVST since its first season in 2016, Conklin said. But as community theater thrived, SVST needed more time on the district’s stages, going from using school theaters for 34 days in 2023 to 74 days in 2024, Conklin said.

And with that increase in use, conflicts have happened before. According to Conklin, in 2024, the district accommodated 74 out of 77 days requested. In 2025, the district accommodated 76 out of 78 days requested. SVST requested 77 days this year and the district could only accommodate 66.

“These scheduling details and adjustments were communicated to SVST throughout the fall, reflecting the district’s ongoing commitment to partnership and collaboration while balancing the needs of our student programs almost a year in advance. At no time did the district indicate that SVST’s reservation could not be guaranteed; rather, scheduling adjustments were made,” Conklin said.

But “SVST has researched and explored all viable options,” Johnson said.

Having more shows at locations with smaller audience spaces was not something that SVST was interested in, Johnson said.

The district controls how its theater spaces are used and has the top priority in using the space.

The theater requested that they use Central Valley High School instead of University High, which has been done in previous years. The district said that was not possible and did not provide the theater with any details.

“There are no other viable spaces to rent that have the facilities we need to operate as a professional theater organization,” Johnson wrote.

SVST is attempting to raise money to build a new theater to serve as its permanent home.

SVST is hoping to be in its new location, the Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center, 13609 E. Mansfield Ave., in time for the 2027 season. Construction on the center started in August 2022 but has been halted due to lack of funds.

So far, Johnson wrote, it has raised $2 million to restart construction on the facility, which is 19% completed. The Spokesman-Review reported in August that the theater said it had raised $4.4 million in committed funds and just over $18.3 million had been raised overall to fund the new center. If financing is in place by Jan. 30, the facility can be constructed by 2027, Johnson said.

Without that building, the future of the theater is unknown.

Rent to use the facility at CVSD for the 2026 summer season was around $120,000, the theater’s finance and construction consultant Brent Wise said. This summer, one donor gave $250,000, which would have covered the theater’s costs for next season, Wise said. The other donor committed $1 million to SVST’s new center.

According to Conklin, SVST has previously received facility use discounts, usually 50-60% below the typical price. Beginning in 2025, the district did away with the discounts.

“We cannot continue to provide a gift of public funds toward our community partners,” Conklin said. “The district has been and continues to be flexible in providing accommodations in the scheduling of alternative spaces whenever available, with student use taking priority.”

That means the 12,000 ticket holders will not see a single show at the theatre this summer. However, the theatre is expecting to have its annual holiday production from Dec. 19-21.

“We wish nothing but the best for Spokane Valley Summer Theatre and are hopeful they will be able to raise the rest of the funds to provide for their own theater space. The Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center would be an asset and a welcome addition to our Valley community,” Conklin said.