POCATELLO — Jamie Romine-Gabardi called the Bistline Foundation’s announcement Wednesday that the Old Town Actors Studio received a $4,000 grant a validation of the nonprofit community theater’s youth education program.

    “It’s very exciting for us because that means it went well and they saw merit in what we did,” said Romine-Gabardi, president of the Old Town Actors Studio.

    It’s the community theater group’s second award from the F.M. and Anne G. and Beverly B. Bistline Foundation Fund, which is now handled by the Idaho Community Foundation. The first grant was for $5,000 and it was seed money to initiate the Actors Studio’s traveling troupe, which visits elementary schools.

    Romine-Gabardi said the group performs a short production and then spends several minutes answering questions from the students about the production. They visited about seven elementary schools through the area, performing “Aesop’s Fables” for them.

    “We selected a script that would educate as well as entertain,” Romine-Gabardi said.

    The new grant will allow the Old Town Actors Studio to once again visit area elementary schools. Based on what the requirements of the grant are, Romine-Gabardi said they could be doing those performances in February or March.

    The local community theater was just one of 13 Southeast Idaho entities that received grants from the Bistline Foundation Fund, according to a release Wednesday from the Idaho Community Foundation.

    The fund was originally founded in 1999 by Beverly Bistline as the F.M. and Anne G. and Beverly B. Bistline Foundation. It was founded by Beverly and named in honor of her parents. Since 2011, it has been a fund that it managed by the Idaho Community Foundation.

    Of those 13 grants given to area entities, the largest was $5,000, which was given to the City of Montpelier for its Bear Lake Arts Council.

    Amy Bishop, grant writer for the City of Montpelier, said the council was started in 2008 and the group has performed several productions since then, growing slowly with each year.

    “They have put on a number of successful events, but our community really has no place with good, quality sound equipment,” Bishop said. “Their idea was to get some good sound equipment to start a theater.”

    That’s exactly what those funds are earmarked for. Bishop says the group has discussed using the funds to initiate both summer and winter programs, performing outdoors during the summer months and finding a suitable location to perform indoors during the winter months.

    The other entities receiving funding include the Idaho State-Civic Symphony Society, $3,000; the Idaho State University Art Department, $1,050; Idaho State University Summer Piano Institute, $1,770; Malad Valley Theater Guild, $2,000; Marsh Valley Performing Arts Committee, $1,000; Musicians West in Pocatello, $2,496; National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, $1,000; Old Town Pocatello Foundation and artist Douglas Warnock, $1,500; Snake River School District, $4,000; Southeast Idaho Reading Council in Pocatello, $1,500; and the Westside Players in Pocatello, $1,505.

    While leaders at the Old Town Actors Studio await the details of the grant they have received and prepare for a new round of visits to area elementary schools, they are continuing their regular schedule of productions at their theater, located at 427 N. Main St.

    This Friday is the opening of their latest production, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” a musical based on the Peanuts characters created by Charles Schultz.

    That show will run Friday, Saturday and Monday, as well as Dec. 7 and 8. Tickets cost $10 per person and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to make reservations, call the Old Town Actors Studio at 478-6886.