The Plaza Live
A historic Orlando entertainment venue that evolved from a two-screen cinema into a theatre and multi-room live-music venue.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Plaza Live is a historic entertainment venue in Orlando, Florida, whose identity has changed substantially over several decades. It began as a two-screen movie theatre and later became a theatre for live performances before developing into a concert venue with a strong local and regional following. The building was known locally as the Rocking Chair Theatre, a reference to its original seating, and for many years it operated in a competitive cinema market by showing second-run films and maintaining a long-running presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. During the 1960s through the early 1990s, the venue remained active as a relatively small cinema even as changing audience habits and declining ticket sales challenged traditional theatres. In 1992, it changed its name and operating format to The Dove Family Entertainment Theatre, presenting Christian-themed programming rather than operating primarily as a conventional cinema. The venue changed ownership again in September 2002, when the Clearwater-based Salthouse Group acquired the 39-year-old property for $1.7 million. The Plaza later moved decisively toward live entertainment. Its programming developed from grassroots local shows and smaller events into a broader schedule that included touring national acts. The venue eventually operated two performance spaces: a principal hall for larger concerts and a smaller room intended for more intimate events. The main hall was configured to support both standing-room events and fully seated performances. Improvements to the smaller room included a new public-address system, acoustic treatment, a revised lighting rig, a permanent sound booth, and removal of its tiered floor to increase usable capacity and improve its suitability for music. In August 2013, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra purchased the building, its contents, and the operating business for $3.4 million. The orchestra's plans included using the property as a permanent institutional home, with offices, a rehearsal hall, a music library, and improvements to the approximately 1,000-seat main hall for chamber-music performances. At the same time, the venue was expected to continue presenting rock, jazz, comedy, contemporary music, and other public events. The smaller hall was subsequently closed for planned conversion into an acoustic rehearsal space. The Plaza Live has hosted a wide range of artists and formats, from emerging local performers and independent touring acts to established musicians in rock, folk, jazz, blues, country, comedy, and contemporary music. Artists associated with its past programming include Bon Iver, The Civil Wars, Childish Gambino, Brandi Carlile, Michelle Branch, Rick Springfield, Blue Öyster Cult, John Oates, Little Feat, Grace Potter, Joe Bonamassa, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, John Prine, Bryan Adams, and many others. It has also hosted local festivals and community-oriented events, including Jambando, Rock for Hunger, and the Orange You Glad Music Festival. The venue became internationally known for a tragic event on June 10, 2016, when singer Christina Grimmie was fatally shot after performing at The Plaza Live while meeting fans. The incident prompted intense public discussion about venue security and the protection of performers during post-show fan interactions. Despite that tragedy, The Plaza Live's broader history is that of a long-running Orlando cultural site whose changing uses reflect the transition from cinema to theatre, and ultimately to live music and multidisciplinary entertainment.
History
The Plaza Live is one of Orlando's longstanding theatres and entertainment buildings. Its earliest identity was that of a two-screen cinema, remembered by local residents as the Rocking Chair Theatre because of its original seating. From the 1960s through the early 1990s, the venue continued operating in a competitive and increasingly difficult cinema market. It relied in part on second-run films and a long-running presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which helped sustain its local cultural profile even as cinema attendance and ticket sales declined. In 1992, the property adopted the name The Dove Family Entertainment Theatre and changed its format. Rather than functioning primarily as a general-purpose movie theatre, it presented Christian-themed shows. This phase represented a significant change in the building's programming and audience, but it was not its final identity. In September 2002, the Clearwater-based Salthouse Group purchased the 39-year-old venue for $1.7 million. Over time, the site was transformed into a live-entertainment operation known as The Plaza Live. Its development depended initially on local shows, smaller events, and grassroots audience building. That approach established a following in Orlando and eventually enabled the venue to attract touring and nationally recognized performers. The business developed two halls: a larger main hall for bigger concerts and a smaller room for more intimate shows and emerging acts. The venue introduced flexible seating in the late 2000s and early 2010s, removing its old rocking chairs and enabling the main room to accommodate either standing audiences or fully seated performances. The smaller room was also upgraded for music. Work included a new sound system, acoustic treatment, a remodeled lighting rig, a permanent sound booth, and removal of its tiered floor to improve sound and increase capacity. These changes reflected the venue's transition from a converted theatre into a more purposefully operated music space. In August 2013, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra bought the building, its contents, and the business for $3.4 million. The orchestra planned extensive renovations intended to provide offices, a rehearsal hall, a music library, and a permanent home for its operations. Plans also called for improvements to the roughly 1,000-seat main hall so that it could support chamber-music concerts while retaining a program of rock, jazz, comedy, contemporary music, and other events. The smaller hall was closed after the acquisition while plans were developed to convert it into an acoustic rehearsal hall. The Plaza Live's programming history spans local festivals, independent artists, touring bands, established popular musicians, jazz performers, blues and folk acts, and comedy. The main hall has hosted artists including Bon Iver, The Civil Wars, Childish Gambino, Brandi Carlile, Rick Springfield, Blue Öyster Cult, John Oates, Little Feat, Grace Potter, Joe Bonamassa, and many others. The smaller room hosted acts such as Rusted Root, Joshua Radin, Boyce Avenue, Old 97's, Tom Green, Wanda Jackson, and the BoDeans. Community events associated with the venue include Jambando, Rock for Hunger, and the Orange You Glad Music Festival. On June 10, 2016, the venue was the scene of the fatal shooting of singer Christina Grimmie after her concert. Grimmie had been meeting fans and signing autographs when she was attacked. Her brother tackled the assailant, who then died by suicide. The incident generated significant attention because of the performer-fan interaction context and the venue's security procedures at the time. Reference material states that bags were normally checked but that metal detectors and pat-downs were not in use. The event is a tragic part of the venue's history and a major point of discussion concerning concert security. Through its successive incarnations as cinema, themed theatre, and concert venue, The Plaza Live has remained a recognizable Orlando cultural site. Its current identity is associated with live performances and its ownership by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, while its historic building continues to connect institutional music-making with public entertainment.
- 2016
Death of Christina Grimmie after post-concert shooting
[1]Singer Christina Grimmie was fatally shot while meeting fans after a concert at the venue.
- 2013
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra purchase
[1]The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra acquired the building, contents, and business for $3.4 million and announced plans to develop a permanent home there.
- 2010
Flexible seating and small-room improvements
[1]The venue adopted a configuration that could support standing-room or seated shows, while the smaller room received sound, acoustic, lighting, and layout improvements.
- 2002
Salthouse Group acquisition
[1]Salthouse Group purchased the venue in September for $1.7 million.
- 1992
Conversion to The Dove Family Entertainment Theatre
[1]The venue changed its name and format, presenting Christian-themed shows rather than operating primarily as a conventional cinema.
Opening as a two-screen cinema
[1]The building began its public life as Orlando's first two-screen movie theatre and became locally known as the Rocking Chair Theatre.
Products and positioning
A historic Orlando cultural and entertainment venue combining touring concerts, local programming, community events, and use by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
Concert hall
Main Hall
The Plaza Live's principal performance space is intended for larger concerts and events. It has been configured for both standing-room and fully seated presentations and has a capacity of approximately 1,000 people according to the reference material. Its programming has included rock, folk, jazz, blues, comedy, contemporary music, and touring national acts. Plans following the Philharmonic Orchestra's acquisition included improvements to make the hall more suitable for chamber-music performances while retaining its broader entertainment schedule.
Small performance room · 2010
Small Room
The smaller room was developed for intimate concerts and lower-capacity events. Beginning around 2010, it received a new PA system, acoustic treatment, upgraded lighting, a permanent sound booth, and removal of its tiered floor. These changes improved its sound and usable capacity for local and touring performers. After the 2013 acquisition by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the room closed while plans were made to convert it into an acoustic rehearsal hall.
Controversies
2016
Fatal shooting of Christina Grimmie
On June 10, 2016, singer Christina Grimmie was shot three times inside the venue after her concert while signing autographs and taking photographs with fans. She died later that night at Orlando Regional Medical Center. The attacker was tackled by Grimmie's brother and then died by suicide. The incident prompted scrutiny of venue security, including the reported absence of metal detectors and attendee pat-downs.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Orange You Glad Music Festival
Orlando
The Plaza Live hosted the Orange You Glad Music Festival as part of its local festival and community-event programming.
- Grassroots local-show programming
Orlando · Central Florida
The venue built its audience through local shows and smaller events before expanding its booking strategy to include larger national touring acts.
Outcome. This approach established a strong local following and supported the venue's later profile as a regional concert destination.
- Jambando and Rock for Hunger
Orlando
The venue hosted local festival and community-oriented events including Jambando and Rock for Hunger.
Brand decisions
2013
Acquisition by the Orlando Philharmonic OrchestraM&ABackground
The orchestra sought a permanent home and acquired a functioning entertainment property with established public programming.
Action taken
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra purchased the building, contents, and operating business and planned offices, a music library, a rehearsal hall, and renovations to the main hall.
Aftermath
The Plaza Live continued as a public concert venue while the property was planned for expanded orchestral and institutional use. The smaller hall was slated for conversion into an acoustic rehearsal space.
Purchase price. $3.4 million (August 2013)
2010
Adoption of flexible seatingStrategyBackground
The venue needed to support different kinds of live events in a building originally designed for cinema and theatre use.
Action taken
The old rocking chairs were removed and the main hall was configured to accommodate either standing-room events or fully seated shows.
Aftermath
The revised layout broadened the types of concerts and events the venue could present.
2010
Upgrade of the Small RoomStrategyBackground
The smaller space was not originally designed as a dedicated live-music room and required technical improvements.
Action taken
The venue installed a new PA system, added acoustic treatment, remodeled the lighting rig, created a permanent sound booth, and removed the tiered floor.
Aftermath
The room became more suitable for intimate music performances and lower-capacity touring shows.
Sources1 sources
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