(CREEDE, Colo.) — Deep in the heart of Creede — and in the hearts of people who have grown up there — is the Creede Repertory Theatre.

For almost 60 years the theatre has been holding shows multiple times a week, all summer long.

“The theater was started by 12 Kansas University students in 1966,” said Christy Brandt, an actor at the Creede Repertory Theatre.

Shortly after, Brandt, who was also from the University of Kansas, was asked to bring theatre to Creede.

“In 1973, I finally got to come to Creede because it was a privilege and an honor. I wasn’t just anything you could say oh, ‘I oughta go!'” Brandt said with a laugh.

And, of course, John “Brownie” Brown, the troupe photographer, followed.

“I just came out because Christy came out and I was in love with Christy, so I just decided to let her decide where we were going to live,” Brown said.

From a high school of over 5,000 students to a town of just under 400 long-term residents, it was quite a change.

“I hadn’t ever been in the mountains, and I was scared to death,” Brandt remembered. “I was scared of the mountains and I was scared of being in a small town.”

But it was a change they quickly fell in love with.

“Everybody helps everybody. Everybody does knows everybody. It’s a fantastic place for people to learn about the value of the arts and live theatre,” Brandt said.

Over the years as it’s grown, the theatre has a history as rich as the history and stories of the people who are a part of it.

“It’s still kind of the Wild West at times,” Brandt said.

“When you mentioned the Wild West,” Brown said, “it reminds me of when Christy was on stage in 1976 and a guy came running into the theatre saying, he’s got a gun, he’s going to kill me. And he ran down the center aisle.”

It would turn out — that young man was being chased by the father of a young woman he was dating. The father had chased the young man all the way into town in his truck and then chased him into the theatre. Thankfully, the police were called and they got the situation under control.

But, it’s these stories that have made the theatre what it is, from when it first started with the kids in summer plays.

“People would throw popcorn at the villain and boo and hiss. And scream for the heroine,” Brandt recalled.

And now, a Cinderella musical is opening Friday, June 30, with shows all the way through August 25.