The new Long Beach Playhouse exhibit at the Historical Society of Long Beach features props and photos from its 85 years running

At 85 years old, the Long Beach Playhouse claims to be the oldest continuously operated community theater west of the Mississippi.

The Historical Society of Long Beach provides some backing for that claim in its new exhibit, “Comedy, Drama & the History of the Long Beach Playhouse.”

An opening night reception takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at HSLB in Bixby Knolls. The event is free and actor from the Playhouse will attend to visit with public. There will be refreshments as well.

“The amount of work it has produced is amazing,” Julie Bartolotto, executive director for HSLB, said. “The claim is that it’s the longest continually running community theater west of the Mississippi.”

This summer, a partial theatrical production called “History & Mystery: Stories from the Long Beach Playhouse” will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at HSLB. Admission will be $20.

The Historical Society of Long Beach is at 4260 Atlantic Ave. For more information on the HSLB, visitwww.hslb.org.