Prince Theatre

The Prince Theatre is a historic cinema and performing-arts venue in Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Its lineage reaches back to the earliest days of motion pictures in the town: outdoor summer shows were staged in the parking lot of the Bates Russell Motor Company building in the early 1900s, and in 1909 Mr. Russell bought Stam's Hall, remodeled its second-floor theater at a cost of $15,000, and opened it as the Chestertown Lyceum on Saturday, September 4, 1909, with a 7:30 p.m. show and a five-cent admission. A new picture was promised every night. Within two decades the popularity of moving pictures led the Russell family to buy the neighboring butcher shop and build a new movie house. The New Lyceum opened on October 25, 1928, with construction done strictly locally — plumbing and heating by William C. Sutton, an oil burner by George W. Baldwin, floor coverings and mezzanine furniture from John Bartley & Son and G.E. Noland, a piano from W.P. Newnam, plastering by the Coleman brothers of Rock Hall, and A.M. Culp supervising. Seating capacity was 650 chairs, with admission of 25 cents for children. The departing Russell family brought the movies to town and the Prince family carried on the tradition before the theater closed in 1993. After the cinema era ended, the building was revived as a community arts venue. It now operates as the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre, a nonprofit organization whose mission is "to invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education," and whose vision is "a community where arts and artists thrive, are accessible, and are an essential element of life." The center presents a season of plays, musicals, concerts and other events, runs education and volunteer programs, and is supported in part by donors, sponsors and volunteers. It is located at 210 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620, and can be reached at its box office at 410-810-2060. The organization is led by an Executive Director and governed by a Board of Trustees, with a small staff of five positions responsible for organizational infrastructure and program support. Steven J. Arnold has served as Executive Director; he is a professional arts administrator, stage director, designer, playwright and actor with more than 75 production credits and over 15 years of administrative posts across more than 30 years of associated work, and he holds a B.A. in Theatre from The Ohio State University. The center has also conducted an Executive Director search as part of its leadership planning. Note on identity: the name "Prince Theatre" is also associated with a former cinema in Hong Kong, China, according to Wikidata. This dossier describes the Chestertown, Maryland venue that today operates as the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre, which is the entity documented by the official website evidence.

The history of the Prince Theatre, as recounted by H. Hurtt Derringer on the Garfield Center's website, begins at the turn of the 20th century in downtown Chestertown, Maryland. The first "movies" were outdoor summer shows staged in the parking lot of the Bates Russell Motor Company building in the early 1900s. In 1909 Mr. Russell bought Stam's Hall from a company that included Hope H. Barroll, Harrison W. Vickers and R. Harrison Collins. The second-floor theater in the imposing building containing the Town Clock was "remodeled and greatly" improved at a cost of $15,000. Mr. Russell named his theatre the Chestertown Lyceum and appointed his brother Fred S. Russell manager. On Saturday, September 4, 1909, the movie house opened for a 7:30 p.m. show with an admission charge of five cents, promising a "new picture" every night. Within twenty years the growing popularity of moving pictures dictated that Mr. Russell purchase the butcher shop next door and build a new movie house. On October 25, 1928, the New Lyceum opened. Construction was strictly local: plumbing and heating were by William C. Sutton; the oil burner heating system was installed by George W. Baldwin; floor coverings and mezzanine suite furniture came from John Bartley & Son and G.E. Noland; a new piano was bought from W.P. Newnam; plastering was done by the Coleman brothers of Rock Hall; and A.M. Culp supervised construction. Seating capacity was 650 chairs, with admission of 25 cents for children. The departing Russell family brought the movies to town and the Prince family carried on the tradition before the close of the theater in 1993. The venue's identity as the Prince Theatre thus reflects the family that operated it through much of the 20th century. After the cinema closed, the building was repurposed as a community arts venue. It now operates as the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre, a nonprofit organization with a mission "to invigorate the cultural life of our community by nurturing, celebrating and supporting arts and artists through performance and education," and a vision of "a community where arts and artists thrive, are accessible, and are an essential element of life." The center presents a season of plays, musicals, concerts and other events; runs education and volunteer programs; and is supported in part by donors, sponsors and volunteers. It is located at 210 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620, with a box office at 410-810-2060. The organization has five staff positions responsible for organizational infrastructure, program support, and support of the Board of Trustees, and it manages a cadre of actors and program volunteers. Steven J. Arnold has served as Executive Director; he is a professional arts administrator, stage director, designer, playwright and actor with over 75 production credits and more than 15 years of administrative posts spanning more than 30 years of associated work, and he holds a B.A. in Theatre from The Ohio State University. The center has also conducted an Executive Director search and announced a 2027 season. A separate identity note: Wikidata describes a "Prince Theatre" as a former cinema in Hong Kong, China. That is a different entity from the Chestertown, Maryland venue documented by the official website evidence, and this dossier concerns the latter.

• 1993

  The theater closes after the Prince family carried on the movie tradition.

• 1928

  The New Lyceum opens on October 25 with 650 seats and admission of 25 cents for children, built entirely by local contractors.

• 1909

  Mr. Russell buys Stam's Hall, remodels its second-floor theater at a cost of $15,000, and opens it as the Chestertown Lyceum on September 4 with a 7:30 p.m. show and five-cent admission.

• The venue is revived as the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre, a nonprofit community arts organization.

• The Garfield Center announces its 2027 season and conducts an Executive Director search.

A nonprofit community performing-arts center housed in a historic small-town movie theatre, focused on accessible, locally rooted arts and education.

• Season of plays and musicals

  A curated season of theatrical productions presented by the Garfield Center.

• GCA produced performances

  Performances produced by the Garfield Center; gift certificates are good for two tickets to any GCA produced performance.

• Arts education and volunteer programs

  Education and volunteer initiatives supporting the center's mission.

1. 1Welcome to the Garfield Center for the Arts!garfieldcenter.org
2. 2History - The Garfield Center for the Artsgarfieldcenter.org
3. 3About - The Garfield Center for the Artsgarfieldcenter.org
4. 4Staff & Board - The Garfield Center for the Artsgarfieldcenter.org
5. 5Prince Theatrewikidata.org