ROCK SPRINGS — The cofounder of a local theater company received recognition for his contributions to the arts in Rock Springs.

Cory Schaeperkoetter received a Mayor’s Arts Award Thursday during a reception hosted by Rock Springs Main Street as part of the city’s arts month. Schaeperkoetter cofounded The Horizon Theater in 2022, which has since hosted eight performances and mentored nearly 200 people on and off stage. Schaeperkoetter credits his wife’s encouragement in giving him the push he needed to establish the company. He has collaborated with local theaters and colleges to further arts education and inclusion. 

Schaeperkoetter was also praised for his performance in “A Sissy in Wyoming,” a one-man show that highlights the life of Larry Goodwin, a resident of Douglas who was a veteran and former cowboy that enjoyed wearing women’s clothing.

Schaeperkoetter said the Actor’s Mission and Western Wyoming Community College provide great opportunities, but his reasoning in founding The Horizon Theater was to produce shows different from what have been produced in Rock Springs. The company produced “The Wizard of Oz” and recently finished casting “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

For Schaeperkoetter, theater can bring a community together and give people an escape from the stress of the real world.

“It brings a community together to express a story,” he said. “It gives you a chance to live in another world for a few hours and escape the stress of the real world.”