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Yecker’s son Charles took over the Fulton in 1903 and commissioned local architect C. Performance space was again enlarged and eight box seats were added, as well as the second balcony or “Peanut Gallery” which was fashioned with wooden benches, plus the grand staircase and foyers that still exist today. The Fulton subsequently played host to Sarah Bernhardt, Goerge M. Cohan, and a production of Ben Hur, complete with a live chariot race. After 1910, movies began to pull audiences away from live theatre attendance, and with fewer traveling shows available, Yecker instituted his own stock company. By 1920, these shows included burlesque, which led to a Lancaster group called The Law and Order Society to have Yecker arrested for “exhibiting immoral shows.” He sold the building, which eventually came under the ownership of Ralph W. Coho, who began showing rerun movies, interspersed with a few stage shows.
Fulton Theatre
The Vyner legacy in Lancaster continues today with a Concerto Competition at Millersville University. During his long career, Vyner, a beloved figure, conducted throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, including tenures with the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Wissahickon Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania Grand Opera Company, York Symphony, and the National Youth Orchestra. His career was devoted to nurturing and developing the talent of young artists such as renowned soloist Andre Watts, who made his concerto debut at the age of 9 under Maestro Vyner's baton. Watts made his LSO debut just one year later, in 1957, and later returned to the LSO to help celebrate its 25th season anniversary. Today the 160+ year old Fulton Theatre is still an entertainment showcase in Lancaster.
'It Happened in Key West' to make its U.S. premiere at the Fulton Theatre - LNP LancasterOnline
'It Happened in Key West' to make its U.S. premiere at the Fulton Theatre.
Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
We are a regional theatre creating exceptional
The Fulton Theatre is thought to be the oldest continuously operating theater in America and has been named a National Historic Landmark. The lobbies of the theatre, full bar, gift shop and concessions opens one hour prior to the start of the performance. Is one of only three theatres recognized as National Historic Landmarks (the others are the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia and the Goldenrod Showboat in St. Louis, Missouri).
The Oldest Continuously Operating Theatre in America
] Vyner, a graduate himself of the Curtis Institute, was able to bring many musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra to perform with the young LSO, raising the quality of the musicianship. Eventually, the LSO would move into its home at the refurbished Fulton Opera House, elevating its reputation and profile in the city. This statue is a replica of the original wooden statue, which is displayed inside the interior lobby. Since its postwar beginnings in 1947, the Lancaster Symphony has sought to provide the vibrant arts community in Lancaster with outstanding performances, unique repertoire, and educational services rooted in a belief that music is fundamental to human industry and well-being. Today, the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra celebrates over 75 years and looks to the future under the leadership of its third Music Director, Michael Butterman.
Fulton Theatre Season to Include Kinky Boots, Fun Home, Evita, Titanic, and More - Playbill
Fulton Theatre Season to Include Kinky Boots, Fun Home, Evita, Titanic, and More.
Posted: Sat, 11 Jun 2022 02:53:34 GMT [source]
that moves the collective soul of our community and honors our national historic landmark
Another massive expansion and renovation in 1995 brought the theater's interior back to its vintage glory. As the theater struggled over the next decades, turning to burlesque shows and movies, the wrecking ball loomed in the Fulton's future by mid-century. But an effort by concerned citizens in 1962 saved the old building, which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1969. Emlen Urban enlarged the Fulton and redesigned the interior in a neoclassical style, leading to another grand re-opening in 1904. The Fulton Opera House Foundation incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1963. Vyner's wife, Mary Bainbridge Vyner, launched the Lancaster Conservatory of Music in 1958, an institution that taught many fine young musicians until its shuttering in 2020.
Gunzenhauser, who also served as the Music Director of the Delaware Symphony, set about raising the level of performance of the Lancaster Symphony and expanding its repertory. The Fulton annually serves over 130,000 guests with performances for all ages. Patrons 60 and over are eligible for our senior prices ($2 off ticket, available by phone or in person at the box office). Prices vary based on day of the performance, seating location, and are subject to change based on demand. Prices include all fees and surcharges totaling $9.50 per ticket ($3 Historic Preservation Fund and $6.50 administrative charge).
Then and now: The Fulton Opera House and its many renovations
Plans for a season of summer theatre were announced, and most importantly a group of interested citizens began to raise money to purchase the building as a not-for-profit foundation. The Fulton Opera House Foundation was formed in 1963 with Nathaniel E. Hager, whose great grandfather had founded Fulton Hall, as its president, and a Board of community leaders. A purchase price of $55,000 was negotiated, and fund-raising began for the purchase and renovation. We believe that Christopher Hager would be proud to see how his dream survived and prospered. The Fulton Opera House is one of only eight theatres in the United States recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Located on the first block of North Prince Street in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania, it combines the elegance of Victorian architecture with the amenities and technical resources of a modern theatre.
Arts and Culture of Lancaster
Sound Discovery's comprehensive and inclusive approach to enriching and enhancing the local community continues to expand each year. The last two seasons alone have seen the launch of four new initiatives, including the LSO Neighborhood Series, StandPartners, Instrument Test Drive, and a collaboration with Carnegie Hall to bring Link Up to Lancaster. He professionalized the ranks of LSO musicians and used his unique link to another regional symphony to create a roster of players that often rehearsed and performed together.
Building
In 1931, Ethel Barrymore appeared in a play called The Love Duel, and the Drama Club of Lancaster presented an amateur production of George Kelly’s The Torch Bearers. The newer theatres on North Queen Street were drawing audiences with first run movies, and as the years went by, the Fulton became a second-rate movie house, its stage empty of performers. In the early 1950’s, a writer named Eugene Burr wrote an article for the New York theatre Playbill suggesting that the Fulton become a memorial to actor John Durang. In 1957, new management repositioned the theatre as an art movie house, with occasional stage performances. Over the next few years, a local production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with Victor Jorre as guest star, and a traveling production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge starring Luther Adler were presented.
It is reportedly the oldest working theatre in the United States.[4] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Youth pricing available for Mainstage shows is $33 but excludes premium seating. Children 17 and under are eligible for youth pricing as well as Student Rush tickets. Up to three (3) Youth price tickets may be added with the purchase of one (1) Full or Senior price ticket, limit six (6) youth tickets per order.
The reconfigured auditorium area, with 684 seats, has orchestra seating on the first level, a second level mezzanine, and third level gallery seating. In addition to the four orchestra and balcony boxes near the stage, there are now accessible boxes at the rear of the theatre, as well as other accessible seating areas. New sound and light booths control updated technical systems, including a sound system for the hearing impaired and a View-Via-Headphones system for the visually impaired. For smaller productions, the fourth level of the building features a 100-seat flexible studio theatre that also serves as a rehearsal hall. Special attention has been paid to preserving and enhancing the historical integrity of the architectural features.
Its marketing department maintains a website that allows users to browse theatre history, check audition times, and purchase tickets. All posters and print materials, including production programs, are cataloged and archived by the Lancaster Historical Society. From its inception, the Lancaster Symphony had a grand vision of its role and relevance in the community.
The wooden statue of Robert Fulton, that originally adorned the front of the building, is restored and displayed in the lobby. Christopher Hager, a Lancaster merchant and civic leader, had a dream—to create a building that would serve as a community center for meetings, lectures, concerts, and theatrical performances. He commissioned the renowned Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan (who later designed the Lancaster County Courthouse) to create this building, which was erected in 1852. Named Fulton Hall, after the county’s steam engine pioneer, Robert Fulton, it was built on the foundation of Lancaster’s pre-Revolutionary jail, where in 1763, a vigilante gang known as the “Paxtang Boys” massacred the last of the Conestoga Indians being held there for their protection. This was a monumental event throughout the colonies and became the subject matter for the first plays ever written on American soil – A Dialogue Between Andrew Trueman and Thomas Zealot About the Killing the Indians at Cannestogoe and Lancaster and The Paxton Boys, a Farce. The first musical concert at Fulton Hall was by violinist Ole Bull and 9-year-old soprano Adelina Patti, to raise money for a settlement of Scandinavians in Potter County.
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