Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts

The Great Falls Civic Center building was built in the 1930s, under the Works Progress Administration. The Works Progress Administration was renamed in 1939 to the Work Projects Administration (WPA). The program was created by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidential order and funded by Congress with passage of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act on April 8, 1935.

This was the largest New Deal agency, employing millions of people and affecting almost every area of the United States, especially rural and western mountain regions. The WPA provided jobs and income to the unemployed during the Great Depression in the United States. The program built many public buildings, projects and roads and operated large arts, drama, media and literacy projects. It fed children and distributed food, clothing and housing. Almost every community in America has a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency. The City of Great Falls has the Great Falls Civic Center as a result of the WPA.

The plush Mansfield Theater, located at the front of the Civic Center, showcases its historic elegance through intricate architecture and acoustics that are unrivaled in the state. The intimate 1,780-seat venue can be used for concerts, ballet, grand opera, road shows, country and rock music spectaculars, musicals, stage productions, conventions and lectures.

The theater is operated by the City of Great Falls and rented through the Mansfield Events Office. The Events Office provides production support – from backstage technical staff and equipment to front of house management. Services also include a box office, high speed internet access, ushers, concessions and bonded staff to sell merchandise.

Contact our staff today for more information on rates and services.