Hershey Theatre
Address | 15 E. Caracas Avenue Hershey, Pennsylvania United States |
---|---|
Owner | Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company |
Capacity | 1,904 |
Construction | |
Opened | September 1933 |
Architect | C. Emlen Urban |
Hershey Theatre is a 1,904-seat theater in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania. Touring Broadway musicals, concerts, community performances, and dance groups perform at the theater.[1] The Hershey Theatre is also home to the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards, which recognizes outstanding high school students in theater and awards scholarships.[2]
History[]
C. Emlen Urban began planning the building of the Hershey Theatre as a community center in 1915 for chocolate magnate and philanthropist Milton S. Hershey.[3] Milton Hershey began construction of Hershey Theatre in 1929 during the Great Depression.[4] The construction of the theater and five other buildings in Hershey, Pennsylvania gave hundreds of workers jobs during the financial crisis.[4]
The Hershey Theatre was opened in September, 1933, as part of Hershey's Great Building Campaign of the Depression.[3] At its opening, the theater was also used as a movie theater, and the original projectors are still used for classic screenings.[4]
Design[]
The lobby of the theater is inspired by St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice.[1] Its "canopy of gold" and pin-point mosaic took German artisans two years to complete.[5]
The theater itself is inspired by Byzantine and Venetian themes. The wooden sides of the auditorium are inspired by Byzantine castle architecture, while the proscenium arch and winged lion statues are inspired by Venetian culture.[3] Behind the fire curtain, there is a water color painting of the Grand Canal and Doge's Palace in Venice.[3] Eighty-eight small light bulbs hang from the ceiling, giving the appearance of stars in the night sky.[3]
The stage is 75 feet by 44 feet and has five elevators.[3] The theater has 44 lines for sets and lights and a house sound system.[3] It also features five floors of dressing rooms for performers.[3]
The theater features a four-manual, 78-rank concert organ, made by Aeolian-Skinner.[1] It was commissioned by Milton S. Hershey[3] and has over 4000 pipes, the largest more than 30 feet tall.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b c "Hershey Theatre in Hershey, PA - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ "Apollo Awards". www.hersheyentertainment.com. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "History of the Hershey Theatre". www.hersheyentertainment.com. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ a b c "How the Hershey Theatre saved Derry Township during the Depression: Cool Spaces". pennlive. 2016-02-24. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ a b "Hershey Theatre". Hershey Theatre. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
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External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hershey Theatre (Hershey, Pennsylvania). |
- Official website (archived, 19 Dec 2014)
- Hershey Theatre on Facebook
- Hershey Trust Company
- Theatres in Pennsylvania
- Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Buildings and structures in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
- Tourist attractions in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
- Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company
- 1933 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Theatres completed in 1993
- United States theater (structure) stubs
- Pennsylvania building and structure stubs