Hershey Theatre

Hershey Theatre is a performing-arts venue in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania, with seating for approximately 1,904 people. The theatre presents a broad program of touring Broadway productions, concerts, community performances, dance groups, and other live entertainment. It also hosts the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards, an educational recognition program for outstanding high-school theatre students that includes scholarship awards. The venue originated as part of Milton S. Hershey's effort to develop civic and cultural facilities in Hershey. Architect C. Emlen Urban began planning the building in 1915 as a community-center project for Hershey. Construction ultimately began in 1929, during the Great Depression, when the theatre was included in a wider building program that added six major buildings to the town. The construction work provided employment for hundreds of people during a period of severe economic hardship. Hershey Theatre opened in September 1933 as part of Hershey's Great Building Campaign of the Depression. At opening, the building functioned both as a live-performance venue and as a movie theatre. Its original projectors remain associated with the building and have been used for classic film screenings. This dual role reflects the theatre's early position as a community entertainment center rather than a venue dedicated exclusively to one performing-arts discipline. The building is distinguished by an ornate architectural program drawing on Byzantine and Venetian sources. The lobby was inspired by St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice and includes a gold canopy and pinpoint mosaic work produced by German artisans over a two-year period. Inside the auditorium, the wooden side elements evoke Byzantine castle architecture, while the proscenium arch and winged-lion statues reference Venetian design. A watercolor depicting Venice's Grand Canal and the Doge's Palace is located behind the fire curtain, and 88 small ceiling bulbs create a star-like effect above the audience. The stage measures approximately 75 feet by 44 feet and is equipped with five elevators, 44 lines for scenery and lighting, a house sound system, and five floors of dressing rooms. The theatre also contains a four-manual, 78-rank Aeolian-Skinner concert organ commissioned by Milton S. Hershey. The instrument has more than 4,000 pipes, with the largest rising to more than 30 feet. These technical and architectural features support the venue's continuing use for large-scale touring shows, concerts, dance, community events, and special presentations. Today, Hershey Theatre functions as a civic and cultural landmark within Hershey's entertainment district. Its identity is based on historic architecture, varied live programming, educational recognition of young performers, and the continued use of a building conceived as a community resource during the Depression.

Hershey Theatre was conceived within Milton S. Hershey's broader program of civic development in Hershey, Pennsylvania. In 1915, architect C. Emlen Urban began planning a theatre building intended to serve as a community center for the town. The project was part of Hershey's effort to provide cultural and public facilities alongside the industrial and residential development associated with the community. Construction began in 1929, during the Great Depression. The theatre was one of six buildings erected in Hershey during the period's major building campaign. By continuing with large-scale construction during the economic crisis, the project provided jobs for hundreds of workers. The building therefore had both a cultural purpose and a local economic function: it was designed as a public amenity while also sustaining employment at a time when work was scarce. Hershey Theatre opened in September 1933 as part of the Great Building Campaign of the Depression. From its beginning, it supported more than one form of entertainment. In addition to live performances, it operated as a movie theatre, and its original projection equipment remains connected with the venue's history through classic film screenings. The building's design gives it a distinctive identity. The lobby draws on the appearance of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, including a gold canopy and pinpoint mosaic work completed by German artisans over two years. The auditorium combines Byzantine and Venetian references. Its wooden side details are modeled on Byzantine castle architecture, while the proscenium arch and winged-lion figures draw from Venetian visual culture. Behind the fire curtain is a watercolor view of Venice's Grand Canal and the Doge's Palace. Eighty-eight small ceiling bulbs produce a starry visual effect over the auditorium. The theatre was also built with substantial performance infrastructure. Its stage is approximately 75 feet wide by 44 feet deep and includes five elevators. Forty-four lines accommodate scenery and lighting, while a house sound system supports contemporary productions. Five floors of dressing rooms provide backstage facilities for performers. The venue's Aeolian-Skinner concert organ, commissioned by Milton S. Hershey, has four manuals and 78 ranks, with more than 4,000 pipes. The largest pipes exceed 30 feet in height. Over time, Hershey Theatre has remained a multi-purpose venue rather than narrowing its role to a single artistic category. Its program includes touring Broadway musicals, concerts, community performances, and dance groups. The building also hosts the Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards, which recognize outstanding high-school theatre students and provide scholarships. This program extends the theatre's community-center mission into arts education and youth recognition. The theatre's continuing significance combines its Depression-era origin, architectural character, technical resources, and varied programming. It remains a major cultural venue in Hershey and a surviving example of the town's early twentieth-century investment in public entertainment and civic life.

1. 1933Theatre opens

   Hershey Theatre opened in September as part of Hershey's Great Building Campaign of the Depression.

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2. 1933Live performance and cinema roles established

   At opening, the venue served both as a theatre for live performances and as a movie theatre; its original projectors remain associated with classic screenings.

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3. 1929Construction begins during the Great Depression

   Construction started as part of a major Hershey building program that provided employment for hundreds of workers during the economic crisis.

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4. 1915Community-center planning begins

   Architect C. Emlen Urban began planning the theatre as a community-center project for Milton S. Hershey.

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A historic, architecturally distinctive regional performing-arts venue offering touring entertainment, community programming, and educational recognition for young theatre performers.

• Touring Broadway productionsLive theatre

  The theatre presents touring Broadway musicals and related large-scale theatrical productions. Its stage dimensions, scenery lines, elevators, backstage dressing rooms, and house sound system allow it to accommodate productions that travel between regional performing-arts venues.

• ConcertsMusic performance

  Concert programming is a core part of Hershey Theatre's live-entertainment schedule. The venue's auditorium, stage infrastructure, house sound system, and historic concert organ support a range of musical presentations.

• Dance and community performancesPerforming arts

  Hershey Theatre provides a stage for dance groups and community performances in addition to commercial touring shows. These events reflect the building's original conception as a community-centered cultural facility.

• Classic film screeningsCinema

  The venue has a continuing connection with cinema dating from its opening, when it also operated as a movie theatre. Classic screenings may use the original projectors retained from the building's early operation.

• Hershey Theatre Apollo AwardsArts education and awards

  The Apollo Awards recognize outstanding high-school students in theatre and provide scholarship awards. The program connects the venue's performance identity with support for student performers and theatre education.

1. Hershey Theatre
2. Hershey Theatre official website