Savannah Theatre
A historic theatre, live-entertainment venue, and former cinema on Bull Street at Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Savannah Theatre is a historic performing-arts venue on Bull Street at Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia. First opened on December 4, 1818, it is widely described as one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the United States. The building has served several related but distinct functions during its long history: it began as a stage theatre, was periodically associated with the name Athenaeum, accommodated military personnel during an 1832 public-health emergency, later operated as a movie theatre, and returned to regular live entertainment in the twenty-first century. The original theatre was designed by British architect William Jay, whose Savannah work also included the Telfair Mansion and the Owens-Thomas House. Its opening production was The Soldier's Daughter, presented at 5:30 p.m. on December 4, 1818. During the 1850s and 1860s, the venue was sometimes called the Athenaeum. It also became a setting for public events beyond theatrical performance. On March 21, 1861, Alexander H. Stephens delivered his Cornerstone Speech there, an event that placed the building within the political history of the antebellum and Civil War era. The theatre's physical history has been marked by repeated damage and rebuilding. A hurricane on August 31, 1898, tore portions of the roof away and flooded the auditorium. Fires in 1906 and 1948 led to major structural interventions. The post-1948 reconstruction gave the building the Art Deco appearance associated with the current theatre. These changes mean that the present structure is both a historic site and a product of several later transformations rather than an untouched survival from 1818. The venue has hosted touring companies and prominent performers across two centuries. Names associated with its stage include Fanny Davenport, E. H. Sothern, Julia Marlowe, Otis Skinner, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, W. C. Fields, Tyrone Power, and Lillian Russell. Edwin Booth appeared there in February 1876 in Shakespearean roles including Hamlet, Iago, and King Lear. The theatre's historical record also notes a short-lived 1851 lease by the New York Dramatic Company, whose repertory did not attract sufficient Savannah audiences, and a November 1911 appearance by baseball player Ty Cobb in The College Widow. The evidence does not establish that John Wilkes Booth performed at the venue. Since 2002, the Savannah Theatre has again operated primarily as a live-entertainment destination. Its programming has centered on music revues and related stage productions, beginning with Lost in the '50s. In this contemporary role, the theatre combines heritage-tourism appeal with a recurring performance business, presenting shows rather than functioning mainly as a conventional cinema. Its significance therefore rests on both continuity and adaptation: it is an exceptionally old Savannah cultural institution whose building and programming have repeatedly changed in response to disasters, public use, entertainment technology, and audience demand.
History
The Savannah Theatre opened on December 4, 1818, at 5:30 p.m. with The Soldier's Daughter. Located on Bull Street beside Chippewa Square, the original building was designed by British architect William Jay, who also designed the Telfair Mansion and the Owens-Thomas House in Savannah. Its early existence established the site as a permanent venue for drama and touring entertainment in a period when purpose-built theatres were important civic and cultural institutions. During the 1850s and 1860s, the building was sometimes identified as the Athenaeum. Its use was not limited to conventional stage productions. In 1832, during a period when disease severely affected troops stationed at Cantonment Oglethorpe, Company E of the Second Regiment of Artillery moved into the theatre for the unhealthy season. Enlisted soldiers were billeted in the building while officers stayed in nearby residences. The arrangement was credited with greatly reducing illness and deaths compared with the cantonment's earlier experience. Troops returned to the cantonment in healthier months until permanent city barracks were completed in 1835. The theatre also figured in public and political life. Alexander H. Stephens delivered his Cornerstone Speech there on March 21, 1861. Across the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the stage presented both local and touring performers. The venue's recorded visitors include Fanny Davenport, E. H. Sothern, Julia Marlowe, Otis Skinner, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, W. C. Fields, Tyrone Power, and Lillian Russell. Edwin Booth undertook several engagements in February 1876, performing Shakespearean parts such as Hamlet, Iago, and King Lear. In 1851, the New York Dramatic Company briefly leased the theatre, but its standard repertory did not attract enough Savannah patrons to make the engagement successful. Baseball player Ty Cobb appeared in The College Widow in November 1911. Although John Wilkes Booth is sometimes associated with historical theatre narratives, the available account does not establish that he performed at this venue. Natural disasters and fires repeatedly altered the building. A hurricane struck Savannah on August 31, 1898, ripping away parts of the roof and flooding the auditorium. A fire in 1906 prompted one major rebuilding campaign, and another fire in 1948 resulted in a second substantial overhaul. After the 1948 fire, the theatre was remodeled in the Art Deco style, creating the visual character of the present building. The venue also spent part of its later history operating as a movie theatre, demonstrating the shift in entertainment economics brought by cinema. The Savannah Theatre's current operating identity developed from 2002 onward, when it began hosting regular live productions again. The initial contemporary revue was Lost in the '50s. Since then, music revues and related stage shows have been central to its public offering. The modern theatre therefore operates at the intersection of historic preservation, tourism, and live entertainment. Its continuity is institutional and locational rather than architectural: the same historic theatre site has remained associated with public performance for more than two centuries, while its structure, technology, and programming have evolved through reconstruction, cinema use, and renewed live production.
- 2002
Return to regular live performances
[1]The theatre begins a contemporary run of regular live shows with the music revue Lost in the '50s.
- 1948
Art Deco reconstruction
[1]A second major fire prompts rebuilding that transforms the building into its current Art Deco form.
- 1906
First major fire-related overhaul
[1]A fire leads to a substantial structural reconstruction of the theatre.
- 1898
Hurricane damage
[1]A hurricane removes portions of the roof and floods the auditorium.
- 1861
Cornerstone Speech
[1]Alexander H. Stephens delivers the Cornerstone Speech at the theatre on March 21.
- 1851
New York Dramatic Company lease
[1]The New York Dramatic Company briefly leases the theatre, but its repertory fails to attract sufficient Savannah audiences.
- 1832
Temporary military use
[1]Company E of the Second Regiment of Artillery is billeted in the theatre during the sickly season after leaving Cantonment Oglethorpe.
- 1818
The theatre opens
[1]The Savannah Theatre opens on December 4 with The Soldier's Daughter in a building designed by William Jay.
Products and positioning
A historic Savannah performance venue that uses its long architectural and theatrical history to support contemporary live music revues and stage entertainment.
Live entertainment · 2002
Live music revues
The Savannah Theatre's contemporary programming is centered on recurring music revues. These shows form the venue's principal modern offering and distinguish its current operation from its earlier periods as a general drama theatre and movie house. The format connects popular music, staged performance, and the theatre's historic setting.
Performing arts · 1818
Theatrical stage productions
Stage productions have been part of the theatre's identity since its 1818 opening. Historically, the venue presented plays, touring companies, dramatic engagements, and special appearances by well-known performers. Contemporary programming continues the live-performance function, although music revues are more prominent than the nineteenth-century repertory model.
Cultural tourism · 1818
Historic theatre experience
The venue functions as a historic Savannah attraction as well as a performance space. Its association with William Jay, the 1818 opening, notable performers, the 1861 Cornerstone Speech, repeated rebuilding, and its Art Deco post-1948 appearance gives attendance a heritage dimension beyond the individual show.
Brand decisions
2002
Recenter the venue on regular live entertainmentStrategyBackground
After periods in which the building had also operated as a movie theatre, the Savannah Theatre resumed regular live programming in the twenty-first century.
Action taken
The venue launched the music revue Lost in the '50s and made recurring live shows, particularly music revues, central to its operating model.
Aftermath
The theatre's contemporary identity became that of a historic live-entertainment venue rather than primarily a cinema.
Recent events
- 2002
The theatre resumes regular live programming with Lost in the '50s[1]
Product launch
The venue returned to regular live performances beginning with the music revue Lost in the '50s and subsequently emphasized recurring music-oriented shows.
- 1898
Hurricane damages the theatre[1]
Other
A hurricane on August 31, 1898, removed sections of the roof and flooded the auditorium, causing serious damage to the historic structure.
- 1861
Alexander H. Stephens delivers the Cornerstone Speech at the theatre[1]
Other
On March 21, 1861, Alexander H. Stephens delivered his Cornerstone Speech at the Savannah Theatre, adding a major political event to the venue's performance history.
- 1832
Savannah Theatre accommodates troops during the 1832 sickly season[1]
Other
The building temporarily housed enlisted personnel from Company E of the Second Regiment of Artillery after troops relocated from Cantonment Oglethorpe during a period of severe illness.
- 1818
Savannah Theatre opens with The Soldier's Daughter[1]
Other
The theatre opened on December 4, 1818, with a performance of The Soldier's Daughter, establishing the venue as a major early performance site in Savannah.
Sources2 sources
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