About Us

In 1998, the Alaska Children’s Institute for the Performing Arts, just a few months old, held our first drama camp at Nikiski High School. Within seven years, it was obvious that the program had grown so much, we needed our own performance facility. After looking at many different rental spaces, we found a 3,000 square foot space in the Peninsula Center Mall in Soldotna. About that same time, the Kambe Movie Theatre replaced all their seating. A couple of kids from the Nikiski Debate Team and their parents went dumpster diving (with the Kambe’s permission) and this began the process of painstakingly reassembling the old orange 1970’s movie theatre seats inside the empty mall space. Since the layout of the large room was split in half by design, a theatre was assembled in one half, and a bookstore in the other. At first, the bookstore provided much-needed revenue to pay the mall space rent. Rosie Reeder assembled an army of volunteers and the bookstore was opened five days a week, till 6:00 p.m. Our first show was in December of 2005, an adaption of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine. The author himself approved the production asking that we just send him a check for $30. Today, the correspondence with his scrawled signature is hanging in Carla Jenness’ home, our first Triumvirate director. On a snowy night in December, Triumvirate Theatre was born. The opening night crowd overwhelmed the small space and with snow blowing in through the back door, extra chairs were muscled in to accommodate the eager crowd. Over the next ten years, more than a hundred shows were performed on that small makeshift stage. In 2007, an old mechanic’s shop went up for sale about five miles north of Kenai. Knowing that eventually we would have to give up the mall space, this building seemed a good opportunity to find a permanent home for Triumvirate Theatre. The organization of course didn’t have the collateral or finances to buy the building so Joe and Paulene Rizzo and Carla and Chris Jenness, board members with ACIPA, scraped together enough personal money for the down payment and bought the 40-year-old building. Thus began an overwhelming remodel job that took herculean efforts to accomplish. On a summer day in 2008, Joe Rizzo, president of ACIPA, met with Steve Hansen of Tesoro. At the end of the short meeting, Steve had a check written to the non-profit for $10,000. Many donations followed but burning up cash to stabilize the building and convert it into a performance space seemed a futile effort. There was just so much to be done. Then, the Nikiski High School shop class came to the rescue. John O’Brien, principal at Nikiski High, was looking for a hands-on program to help prepare students for work in the trades. Serendipitously, he had recently hired one of the best shop teachers in the state, Paul Johnson. An arrangement was made and for the next two years, shop class was held out at the new theater building every day. A group of dedicated kids under the direction of the incredibly competent Mr. Johnson put up sheet rock, tiled floors, built a stage, put in plumbing, constructed a balcony and built platforms for seating. However, even with all this incredible help, this project would have never been brought to fruition if not for the charitable heart of Harry Ala. A licensed electrician, Harry painstakingly removed all the old wiring from the building and spent ten hour days for two months rewiring the building anew. He donated tens of thousands of dollars in time and effort. In November of 2013, Harry and his wife, Abby, and a hundred other people instrumental in bringing about this miraculous transformation from greasy derelict shop to beautiful performance space, were dressed in tuxes and evening gowns. The first show at what was being called Triumvirate North began. A parody of a song done by Neil Patrick Harris for the Emmy awards burst on to the stage featuring two dozen dancers, singers, and even cheerleaders. The spectacle of the gala ushered in a string of great shows, starting with White Christmas. Shortly after Triumvirate North opened, the theatre in the mall space closed, and quality shows at Triumvirate North entertained the community for another eight years.

Like most businesses around the world, Triumvirate Theatre was hit hard by COVID.  Our beloved theatre went dark, and just as we were on the road to reopening, tragedy struck.  In the early morning of February 21, 2021, Joe Rizzo got a call that changed everything.  The theatre had gone up in flames.  Investigators were never able to determine a cause, but the loss was total.  Suddenly the Rizzos and the Jenness’ were faced with a difficult decision – start over from scratch, or let the dream die.  The kids made the decision for us – the question of rebuilding was never a question at all and so the organization entered a new phase.  Joe Rizzo, with the help of an active board and incredible philanthropy from organizations like the Rasmuson Foundation, the Murdock Trust, and the Penney Foundation as well as the amazing support from Senator Lisa Murkowski, set out to tackle a herculean task:  to raise $3.5 million dollars for a rebuild on a piece of land in Kenai generously donated by the city.  For three years it was a dream, but with consistent and amazing community support, in the summer of 2024, construction began on the new facility.

Today, Triumvirate Theatre is thriving thanks to generous donations from both corporations and individuals. And although the surroundings have changed from what we affectionately called the “ghetto mall” to our classy art deco theatre just five miles north of Kenai, to a brand-new 200-seat facility, our mission has not changed. Triumvirate Theatre exists to provide kids with performing arts education and experience and to bring quality and affirming performing arts to our community.  With your help, we will continue to do that for years to come.