Pier One Theatre is an inclusive community organization presenting quality live theatre performance and instruction on the Kenai Peninsula.

Now celebrating 50 years creating, promoting , and sharing the performing arts for and with lower Kenai Peninsula communities and beyond.

Pier One Theatre is committed to presenting community productions, educating youth, showcasing new works, providing guidance and mentorship, collaborating with other organizations and maintaining the fiscal means to do so.

Pier One Theatre creates a space where everyone is welcome.  We know that a rich diversity of people, ideas, and experiences gives us strength.  We support and develop art that encourages and builds diversity in our community.  We work to create an environment of trust and respect.  We are kind to one another.

Our Staff and Board

Board of Directors

In the Beginning…

Lance & Barbara Petersen, along with co-conspirators Richard and Donna Dixon, provided $50 each to start Pier One Theatre in 1973. For the next 44 seasons, Lance served as Artistic Director with Barbara as his strong right-hand. They were the leaders & inspiration for hundreds of productions & youth theatre camps. Lance died in January 2023, and leaves behind an incredible legacy of community theatre which stretches across the state of Alaska and beyond.

Pier One got its name from the location of the original theater, in a city warehouse on a pier on the Homer Spit where you could look down through the floor boards and see the tide, the beach and children running around.

Read “Community is Lance Petersen’s Stage” by Jan O’Meara for the Homer News, Thursday, November 4, 1982 to know more about Lance and his vision for Pier One Theatre.