<< Go Back up to Historic Theatre Photography main page

What’s Under Construction

This page affords you a preview of additional theatres we’re currently working on and will soon add to this website.

There are 37 theatres in the hopper right now. Scroll down to read more and preview the theatres we’ll be adding to our website very soon!

American Midwest (outside Chicago)

Allen Theatre, Cleveland

First Opened: 1st April 1921 (103 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 12th July 2022

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.

Connor Palace Theatre, Cleveland

First Opened: 6th November 1922 (102 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 11th July 2022

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.

Folly Theater, Kansas City

First Opened: 23rd September 1900 (124 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 19th July 2023

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!”.

Fox Theatre, St. Louis

First Opened: 31st January 1929 (95 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 20th July 2023

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.

KeyBank State Theatre, Cleveland

First Opened: 5th February 1921 (103 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 11th July 2022

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.

Mimi Ohio Theatre, Cleveland

First Opened: 14th February 1921 (103 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 11th July 2022

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.

Canada

Cameco Capitol Arts Centre, Port Hope

First Opened: 15th August 1930 (94 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 19th February 2023

Originally opened as the Capitol Theatre in 1930, the theatre is now a performing arts center called the Cameco Capitol Arts Centre.

Grand Theatre, London

First Opened: 9th September 1901 (123 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 22nd February 2023

The Grand Theatre opened in 1901 as the Grand Opera House, built by owner/manager Ambrose J. Small. Today the Grand Theatre is a regional professional theatre company, housed in a modern building retaining historic features of its original auditorium.

Florida

Polk Theatre, Lakeland

First Opened: 22nd December 1928 (95 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 10th December 2022

The Polk Theatre originally opened in 1928 as a 1,400-seat combination vaudeville/movie theatre built to serve a rural town of just 15,000. In 1982 the theatre was saved from the wrecking ball, and now serves as a local performing arts center and movie theatre.

New York

St. George Theatre

First Opened: 4th December 1929 (95 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 8th December 2023

The St. George Theatre is a performing arts venue, movie palace, and office complex in Staten Island, New York City. The 2,800-seat theatre was built for Staten Island theatre operator Solomon Brill and opened in late 1929.

Pacific Northwest

5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle

First Opened: 24th September 1926 (98 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 21st March 2024

The 5th Avenue Theatre opened in 1926 and was designed in an elaborate Chinese wooden temple design by architect Robert C. Reamer. The theatre originally sat 3,000 however seating capacity is now 2,300. The theatre underwent an extensive renovation in 1979.

Moore Theatre, Seattle

First Opened: 28th December 1907 (116 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 20th March 2024

The Moore Theatre opened in late 1907, built for real estate developer James A. Moore. The theatre originally sat 2,436, with the upper balcony being racially segregated from the rest of the theatre. It once had separate entrances, and to this day has a separate staircase connecting it to just inside the front door.

Paramount Theatre, Seattle

First Opened: 1st March 1928 (96 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 21st March 2024

The Paramount Theatre originally opened as the Seattle Theatre in early March 1928. The 3,000-seat theatre was designed by Chicago architect firm Rapp & Rapp, with the adjoining office and apartment building being designed by B. Marcus Priteca, himself an accomplished theatre designer.

San Francisco Bay Area

Castro Theatre, San Francisco

First Opened: 22nd June 1922 (102 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 12th August 2022

The Castro Theatre opened in mid-1922, built by the Nasser brothers and designed by architect Timothy Pflueger. It was designed for movies, and hence featured minimal stage facilities despite vaudeville still being popular at the time of the theatre’s opening. 100 years after it opened, the theatre is still owned by the Nasser family.

United Kingdom: London

Aldwych Theatre

First Opened: 23rd December 1905 (118 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 29th March 2022

The Aldwych Theatre opened in 1905, designed as a pair with the Waldorf Theatre (now Novello Theatre) at the opposite end of the block. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R. Sprague. The Aldwych was the Royal Shakespeare Company’s base in London for many years after 1960.

Dominion Theatre

First Opened: 3rd October 1929 (95 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 29th March 2022

Initially built as a super cinema at the end of the 1920s, the Dominion Theatre is now a staple theatre of London’s West End. It is familiar to many as home to the annual Royal Variety Performance for many years.

London Palladium

First Opened: 26th December 1910 (113 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 7th April 2022

The London Palladium opened in December 1910 and is known throughout the world as the home of Variety. Out of all the theatres in the UK and London which have hosted the annual Royal Variety Performance, the London Palladium has hosted the annual variety extravaganza the most number of times, by far.

Normansfield Theatre

First Opened: 1879 (145 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 9th August 2024

The Normansfield Theatre was built as part of Normansfield Hospital, a self-sufficient hospital complex built by Dr. John Langdon Down in the late 1870s. Pioneering research into what’s now know as Down Syndrome took place at the hospital. The theatre is now held in care by the Landon Down Centre Trust.

Royal Albert Hall

First Opened: 29th March 1871 (153 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 20th September 2023

The Royal Albert Hall, in the South Kensington area of London, was opened in March 1871 by Queen Victoria. The nearly 5,300-seat concert hall has played host to the world’s leading artists from many different genres, and has been home to the BBC Proms every year since 1941.

United Kingdom: outside London

Blackpool Grand Theatre

First Opened: 23rd July 1894 (130 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 18th May 2024

The Blackpool Grand Theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in July 1894.

Blackpool Opera House

First Opened: 14th June 1939 (85 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 19th May 2024

The Blackpool Opera House opened in 1939, designed in the Art Deco style by architect Charles McKeith, and replacing the earlier Opera House which had opened in 1899.

Buxton Opera House

First Opened: 1st June 1903 (121 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 20th May 2024

The 900-seat Buxton Opera House opened in 1903 and was designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. In part due to its location in a rural area of the country, it survives as one of the best preserved examples of Matcham’s theatre designs.

Edinburgh Playhouse

First Opened: 12th August 1929 (95 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 31st March 2022

The Edinburgh Playhouse was built as a super cinema and opened in 1929. For many years it was the largest theatre, by seating capacity, in the UK.

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

First Opened: 1st October 1891 (133 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 6th August 2024

The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham opened in October 1891 as the New Theatre and Opera House, seating 1,500 and designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. The theatre was renamed the Everyman Theatre in 1960.

Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man

First Opened: 16th July 1900 (124 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 18th September 2023

The Gaiety Theatre was constructed on the site of a largely unsuccessful entertainment pavilion, and incorporates parts of the pavilion structure (most notably the roof) into the current building. Renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham was engaged to build the new theatre, and the Gaiety is now considered one of his finest surviving theatres.

Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond

First Opened: 1788 (236 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 3rd August 2024

The Georgian Theatre Royal was built by actor-manager Samuel Butler and opened in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 1788. It is one of the oldest working theatres in the United Kingdom.

Grand Opera House, Belfast

First Opened: 23rd December 1895 (128 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 27th December 2023

The Grand Opera House opened in December 1895 presenting variety, music hall (vaudeville) and circus acts. The theatre was designed by prolific UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. The theatre was used as a cinema for a period however now hosts musicals, drama, ballet, opera, and comedy performances as well as educational events and tours.

Grand Opera House, York

First Opened: 20th January 1902 (122 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 12th September 2023

The Grand Opera House in York opened in 1902, designed by architect John P. Briggs. The theatre was built by adapting an old corn exchange (opened in 1868) and an adjacent warehouse.

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

First Opened: 3rd December 1906 (118 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 6th April 2022

The 1,400-seat His Majesty’s Theatre opened in December 1906, designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham.

Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow

First Opened: 29th February 1904 (120 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 16th September 2023

One of Glasgow’s oldest theatres, the Pavilion Theatre of Varieties opened on 29 February 1904 as a music hall. The theatre was designed by UK theatre architect Bertie Crewe and is well-known in the City as being the peoples’ theatre of Glasgow.

Sunderland Empire

First Opened: 1st July 1907 (117 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 1st August 2024

The Empire Palace opened in July 1907, built by the partnership of Edward Moss, Oswald Stoll, and Richard Thornton. The theatre was designed by architect brothers William and Thomas Milburn who would go on to become the favored architects of the Stoll Moss group.

Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne

First Opened: 20th February 1837 (187 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 14th September 2023

The Theatre Royal opened in early 1837, designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green. Thirty years later the interior was redesigned by C.J. Phipps. Following a fire in 1899, the interior was redesigned by Frank Matcham. While the exterior retains its 1837 appearance, the interior has been restored to Matcham’s 1901 design.

Theatre Royal, Nottingham

First Opened: 25th September 1865 (159 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 6th August 2024

The Theatre Royal opened in September 1865, designed by noted UK theatre architect C.J. Phipps. The theatre underwent a major renovation that was completed in 1977. Since then, the theatre has been – and continues to be – at the heart of theatre in Nottingham, over 150 years later.

Theatre Royal, York

First Opened: 1744 (280 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 12th September 2023

The theatre first opened as the New Theatre in 1744, although did not gain a Royal Patent for the presentation of the spoken word until 1769 at which time at which time it became known as the Theatre Royal.

Tower Ballroom, Blackpool

First Opened: 1899 (125 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 17th May 2024

The Blackpool Tower Ballroom opened in 1899, designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham.

Tower Circus, Blackpool

First Opened: 14th May 1894 (130 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 17th May 2024

The Blackpool Tower Circus opened in May 1894, designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham.

Washington DC

The Kennedy Center

First Opened: 8th September 1971 (53 years ago)

Photoshoot Completed: 1st June 2018

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally called the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.

@HistoricTheatrePhotos on Instagram

Historic Theatre Photography

For photograph licensing and/or re-use contact me here .

<< Go Back up to Historic Theatre Photography main page