Maplewood Barn Association

Family. Community. Theatre. Under the Stars. For over fifty years...

There is a kind of magic that happens when we sit together in a theatre. As the stage lights rise, we fly with Snoopy and the Red Baron, pine for love, smile smugly as villains get their just desserts, long for happily ever after, and battle our own inner demons and dragons. It is a mystical, addictive power that holds us entranced and has us returning, again and again. Theatre allows us to share stories, imagine other experiences, learn from one another, to laugh, and to cry together. Theatre is a community experience.

For over fifty years, Maplewood Barn Community Theatre has been providing high quality, live community theatre under the stars to mid-Missouri audiences in an informal, family friendly, outdoor setting in historic Nifong Park.

On a hot mid-Missouri summer’s night in 1973, the first performance of the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre began: a 45-minute commedia dell’ arte improvisational comedy called Trial by Haunted House. At the time, hay bales separated the actors from the audience and lights had yet to be mounted, so every show ended before dark. Stalls inside the Barn that once housed animals, now housed actors as they prepared for opening night. The large double hay loft doors opened to reveal a lover’s balcony, a room for plotting dastardly dos in secret, or heaven’s clouds. From 1973 to 2010, the Barn changed only slightly—the hay bales were replaced by an actual stage and the dirt floors inside the Barn were replaced by poured concrete. Sweltering heat and bugs made for a challenging environment. It took a special breed of actor and volunteer to brave those conditions simply for the love of the Barn and their craft. Those that participated in Maplewood Barn Community Theatre became known as “Barnies.”

At 8 p.m. on April 5, 2010, tragedy struck—Maplewood Barn burned to the ground. Flames, some reaching 40 to 50 feet high, illuminated the night sky, and were visible throughout much of the city. According to the Columbia Tribune, the fire was one of the largest that Columbia had seen in years (David). The theatre community rallied and a drive to rebuild the Barn ensued. But, as they say, the show must go on and the 2010 Phoenix Season was born from the ashes of the 19th Century Barn. Using a fleet of donated trailers for dressing rooms, box office, and storage, the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre produced a full season of shows: Arsenic and Old Lace, Revenge of the Space Pandas, Othello, and Camelot.

Community means so much to those of us at the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre. For over fifty years, we have endeavored to create a sense of family among our volunteers, actors, directors, crew, administrators, sponsors, and our audiences. It takes all of us to make Maplewood Barn thrive—all the “Barnies.” Like any family, we Barnies have had our ups and downs, but we always come back to the Barn.