COEUR d'ALENE - Lake City Playhouse officially changed its name to The Modern Theater Coeur d'Alene on Monday, but most other changes are minor.

Executive artistic director George Green said loyal LCP patrons need not worry about losing a venue they have loved and supported through the years.

"To the patronage, nothing is going to change," Green said Tuesday. "Nothing has changed for subscribers."

The playhouse merged with Interplayers Resident Professional Theatre of Spokane - now The Modern Theater Spokane - in September and the two have joined under Green's direction. To unify the theaters, a rebranding was necessary; however, Green said rebranding is not uncommon in the world of live theater. LCP was originally established as the Coeur d'Alene Community Theatre and Academy in 1961 and underwent a rebranding in the 1980s when it became LCP.

"This is not an uncommon experience," Green said. "This has happened before."

Both locations of The Modern Theater are in the process of streamlining their marketing tools and switching to the new name to establish unity between the venues. This is evident even in the logo, which incorporates aspects of both theaters.

"We've taken the interplayers style and the playhouse logo and merged the two together to keep the best of both of the logos," he said.

While the playhouse now has a new phone number - 676-PLAY - and will eventually receive a unified front to match its sister theater in Spokane, Green said the rebrand will change little otherwise. If anything, people will see things get bigger and better.

"They're going to see more and more talent coming through the doors in Coeur d'Alene," he said. "The Coeur d'Alene arts community may have more opportunities in Spokane that they may not have had prior to the merger."

Green said the independent historical significance of each venue will continue to be honored and preserved, from displaying founders' names and archival photos to maintaining the spaces dedicated to those who have supported the theaters through the years, such as the Spokane location's Gellhorn Gallery.

"The history of the theater is 100 percent intact," Green said. "Those important factors of our history are still there."

Green said showgoers and patrons can continue to look forward to balanced seasons as the former LCP will be doing more than ever. The tagline for The Modern Theater is "Inspiring new stories - timeless classics."

The merger occurred when interplayers approached LCP as an effort to prevent closure and bankruptcy. LCP acquired interplayers' assets and liabilities and is the surviving entity of the merger. The nonprofit company comprises an eight-member board of directors, six full-time staff members and five consistent part-time staffers, as well as more than 200 volunteers and about 150 artistic contractors/employees who contribute throughout the year.

Info: www.themoderntheater.org or 676-PLAY