The first residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming began arriving in the mid-1800s. Back then; the town was populated primarily by men, who had moved west to work on the Union Pacific Railroad. While most of them left after the railroad was completed, many stayed, eventually establishing a lively Wild West frontier town that boasted a larger number of saloons and about five theaters, most of which presented burlesque. As time went on, the new railroad delivered enough culture-in the forms of books, magazines, and popular entertainment-to inspire its citizens to build an opera house in 1882.

Over the years, the Center has played host to the best of the best in the entertainment industry. Past Sold Out Shows include the Beach Boys, B.B. King, David Copperfield, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Alison Krauss, Wayne Newton, Natalie Cole, Victor Borge, the Smothers Brothers, Anne Murray and Jerry Seinfeld as well as Broadway touring shows such as Lord of the Dance, A Chorus Line, Cats, Grease, Sesame Street, and the Bolshoi Ballet!

"The Civic Center is able to lure some of the great entertainers because of its close proximity to the crossroads of Interstate 80 (I-80) and Interstate 25 (I-25)," says Dru Rohla, the Cheyenne Civic Center’s executive director. “I recently brought in “Jerry Seinfeld” for two side-splitting, sold out events.”

During the past 27 years, the Civic Center has undergone its share of renovations.  “We’ve replaced the carpet, the lighting instruments, the sound board, and the musicians’ chairs over the last seven years,” In the next decade, Rohla hopes to have the stage curtains and theater seats replaced as well. Recent flooding to the lower levels of the Cheyenne Civic Center has updated stage lighting along with a new heating system. The stage floor has been sanded and polished. The rehearsal room has been completely restored.

And while the Civic Center meets current American Disability Association (ADA) guidelines for public access, seating for wheelchairs is limited in the auditorium’s main floor behind the orchestra and in front of the loge seating. The room for rehearsal also has limited disability access. Within the next 10 years, Rohla says he wants to increase the ADA access to the Cheyenne Civic Center.

The Civic Center is city-owned and operated. We have hosted many local organizations, including the Cheyenne Kiwanis Club, the All-City Children’s Choir, Laramie County Community College and "is home to the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra." Many local artistic individuals and groups, as well as talented students, amateurs and professionals alike have displayed their artworks in the beautiful lobbies of the Civic Center.