Pierre Players Community Theater enriches, educates, and entertains central South Dakota by engaging volunteers and audience members in the process and product of quality theater. Our vision is to enrich lives through compelling theatrical experiences created in a collaborative and adventurous environment. We value a culture of inclusiveness, effective communication, ethical behavior, the highest artistic standards, innovation, fiscal stability, and organizational longevity. Through a season of staged productions, theatrical workshops, and a children’s theater program, we provide an outlet for community members to develop and express their creativity.
Join us for a spectacular fundraising concert benefiting Pierre-Fort Pierre Kiwanis featuring the incredible Shaun Johnson and the Big Band Experience on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 7 p.m. at the Grand Opera House. The Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience returns to the Grand Opera House with a bold, genre-bending show where Sinatra swagger meets high-octane energy. It will be an unforgettable night of music, fun and community—all for a great cause! Get your tickets and support local youth programs. Purchase tickets online or $25 at the door.
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The red carpet is being rolled out for YOU! Join us for our star-studded 2026 Season Kickoff—an awards show extravaganza where YOU are the VIP guest! This glamorous open house celebration on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, 4:30-7 p.m. at the Grand Opera House will feature all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s biggest night, complete with exciting reveals of our upcoming season lineup and the talented directors who will bring these productions to life. Whether you’re a longtime theater lover or curious newcomer, come dressed to impress (or come as you are!) for an evening filled with surprises, sneak peeks and maybe even a few acceptance speeches. It’s your chance to get an exclusive first look at what promises to be our most spectacular season yet, while mingling with fellow theater enthusiasts and the creative minds behind the magic. The program and entertainment begin at 5:30 p.m. on the stage. Lights, camera, kickoff!
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, "The Thanksgiving Play." The plot centers around a troupe of terminally woke teaching artists scrambling to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) is the first female Native American playwright to have a play produced on Broadway with "The Thanksgiving Play." Larissa resides in Santa Monica, Calif., but her homeland is South Dakota. She graduated from Riggs High School in Pierre in 1989. Performance dates for "The Thanksgiving Play" are Dec. 5-7 and 11-13, 2025, with a pay-what-you-can performance on Dec. 3, 2025.
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South Dakota Arts Council support is provided with funds from the state of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Pierre Players offers scholarships for post-secondary education and theater workshops for all ages. Post-secondary scholarships are based on participation in fine arts programs, activities and events. Pierre Players participation is given preference. The deadline to apply for a post-secondary scholarship is March 31, 2025. Pierre Players also offers scholarships for theater-related camps and workshops in South Dakota for students to develop their theater skills. Camp/workshop scholarships are based on Little Players involvement, as well as other fine arts programs. Learn more.