Two local theater companies, Insight Out Theater Collective and Cite Educational Theater, have merged.

Founded in 1992, Cite is a nonprofit, professional K-12 children's theater company that develops original material combining musical theater with social and environmental educational messages. Cite, whose annual budget was $144,000 in 2006, is funded by local cities and by organizations such as Portland General Electric, Pacific County PUD, and Metro and Regional Water Providers Consortium. There is no cost to the schools that host the performances. In 2006, Cite performed more than 230 shows and connected with 50,000 school children.

Nonprofit Insight Out Theater Collective was founded in 2003 with the mission to create plays addressing challenging themes and encouraging public dialogue to inspire social change. The theater's budget is about $206,000 in 2006, raised through events, grants and private donations. The theater's productions are open to the public.

The merger was in the works for about 18 months. Cite Theater had two part-time employees, and Insight Out was a volunteer-based organization. Both theaters contracted with writers, designers and actors. The merged theater company will retain the name Insight Out Theater Collective.

"We realized that we had the same mission, but were serving different audience," said merger spokeswoman Nicole Lane.

She added, "The arts are underfunded and have a hard time making it, and we thought this was a good opportunity to pool our resources artistically and administratively."

Local theater celebrity Wade McCollum is a founding member of Insight Out.

Administrative offices for the merged theater company are located at 812 S.W. Washington St., but theater events are staged at various community venues.

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