American Midwest (outside Chicago)

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The U.S. Midwest has a population of just under 70 million, and as such there are a lot of theatres im the area! From vaudeville houses to mid-twentieth-century performing arts centers, by way of burlesque and movie theatres, the U.S Midwest has a lot to offer.

Theatre Tours

Details of theatre tours in the U.S. Midwest.

Theatre Timeline

An interactive timeline of all theatres in the U.S. Midwest.

Upcoming Special Events

Special events happening at theatres in the U.S. Midwest.

American Midwest (outside Chicago)

Akron Civic Theatre

The Akron Civic opened as Loew’s Akron in April 1929, part of the theatre chain built by exhibitor Marcus Loew. It is one of the few remaining Atmospheric theatres designed by renowned theatre architect John Eberson to survive.

Allen Theatre, Cleveland

The Allen Theatre opened in April 1921 as a silent movie theatre with a seating capacity of more than 3,000. Renovated in the mid 1990s, the theatre underwent radical changes in 2010 reducing the seating capacity to 500 and creating the feel of an intimate playhouse.

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Barrymore Theatre

The 1,000-seat Barrymore Theatre originally opened in late December 1929 as the Eastwood Theater, reported to be Wisconsin’s first theatre constructed for talking pictures. The Atmospheric auditorium interior was largely removed in the 1940s. The theatre is now a popular live entertainment venue.

Canton Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre was built by local businessman Harry H. Ink, who had made his fortune from a sore throat remedy called Tonsiline. Noted theatre architect John Eberson designed the theatre which was reported to have cost over $1 million, and featured the city’s first air conditioning.

Connor Palace Theatre, Cleveland

The Connor Palace first opened in late 1922 as a vaudeville and movie theatre for the Keith-Albee theatre chain. Originally seating 3,100, the theatre was designed by noted Chicago-based architects Rapp and Rapp in a French Renaissance style. The theatre was renovated in the late 1980s.

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Folly Theater, Kansas City

The Folly Theater opened as a vaudeville and burlesque theatre in 1900 and is immortalized by being the first theater where Gypsy Rose Lee performed burlesque, as well as being referred to as the burlesque theatre in the song “Kansas City” from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!”.

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Fox Theatre, St. Louis

The Fox Theatre opened in 1929 as a showcase for the films of the Fox Film Corporation. It was one of a group of five spectacular Fox theatres built by Fox in the late 1920s and is one of only three to survive.

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Hanna Theatre, Cleveland

The Hanna Theatre opened in March 1921 as part of the Hanna Building in downtown Cleveland, built by industrialist and publisher Daniel Rhodes Hanna. The 1,400-seat theatre was the only known theatre design of architect Charles A. Platt. Following restoration and a reconfiguration the theatre now seats 550.

KeyBank State Theatre, Cleveland

First opened in early 1921, the State Theatre originally sat 3,400. The vaudeville and movie theatre was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by architect Thomas W. Lamb, and was intended to be the flagship of the Ohio branch of the Loew’s Theatres chain.

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Midland Theatre, Kansas City

The Midland Theatre opened in 1927 as the 4,100-seat Loew’s Midland Theatre, a movie palace built with a full stage and described as a “combination stageshow and picture house”. Following a major renovation in the mid-2000s the Midland Theatre has been at the center of live entertainment in downtown Kansas City.

Mimi Ohio Theatre, Cleveland

The theatre opened in early 1921 as Loew’s Ohio, a home for the presentation of legitimate drama. The 1,300-seat theatre was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by noted theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb. The theatre was renovated in the early 1980s.

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Missouri Theater, St. Joseph

The 1,400-seat theatre opened at the end of June 1927 with Rough House Rosie (1927) starring Clara Bow. The movie followed a welcome by Publix Theaters, a dramatic short feature, and a demonstration of the Wurlitzer organ by organist Howard Peterson.

Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, Sheboygan

The 1,600-seat Sheboygan Theatre opened in early 1928 with Finders Keepers (1928) starring Laura LaPlante, and five “big time” acts of vaudeville, having been built at a cost of $600,000 by the Universal Pictures chain for the Milwaukee Theatre Circuit.

Uptown Theater, Kansas City

The Uptown Theatre opened in early 1928, designed by noted theatre architect John Eberson in his signature Atmospheric theatre style with an Italian garden theme. After having lain dormant for several years, the theatre is now a popular live entertainment venue.

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