Watch Nate Eaton\u2019s interview with Kyle Benson in the video player above. <\/p>\n
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Montana \u2014 A historic theater space with deep local roots is being brought back to life as a new generation prepares to reopen it this summer.<\/p>\n
The Yellowstone Westgate Theater, located at 29 Madison Avenue in West Yellowstone, Montana, is scheduled to open June 4 following a full refurbishment.<\/p>\n
The reopening marks a full-circle moment for the Benson family, whose patriarch, Lynn Benson, and his colleagues at Ricks College launched a theater in the very same building in the early 1960s. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandfather and some other partners he taught with at Ricks College started a theater there in the same building in the early 60s,\u201d said Kyle Benson, one of Lynn Benson\u2019s grandsons. \u201cThere\u2019s the legacy part circling back to what our grandfather did years ago and ran that theater for 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle, along with brothers Travis and Mark, has joined forces with a local couple to make the project possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly never thought I\u2019d be in the theater space, but we saw an opportunity and we\u2019re partnering with some great people that live there in town \u2014 Jeff and Lisa Carter \u2014 they are theater people through and through,\u201d Benson said. <\/p>\n Each summer, the Westgate Theater plans to stage a classic melodrama, a straight play and a musical. This season\u2019s lineup includes \u201cThe Great Western Melodrama\u201d, \u201cSee How They Run\u201d and \u201cAnnie Get Your Gun.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have a balcony out front that we\u2019ll be able to do some skits pre-show and entertain people as they\u2019re walking around town,\u201d Benson explained.<\/p>\n The brothers say they\u2019re reopening the theater to honor the legacy of Lynn and Fern Benson and create a fun entertainment option for the millions of tourists who visit Yellowstone National Park every year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re really looking forward to having a great time with this new venture,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n Auditions for this summer\u2019s shows will be announced soon. More information and tickets are available here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \t<\/span> \t<\/span> \t<\/span> \t=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https:\/\/www.eastidahonews.com\/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”><\/span> \t<\/span> <\/p>\n![\"bensons\"](\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/assets.eastidahonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/bensons.jpg\")