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A $9.5 million renovation and expansion project initiated by the Fulton Opera House Board of Trustees was completed in 1995. In addition to restoring the splendor of the interior, new facilities were added for the comfort and convenience of the audience, to expand office space, and to make state-of-the-art improvements to the theatre itself. The construction of an annex adjacent to the original building allowed for the addition of a new two-story atrium lobby, new office space on the third floor, and an elevator serving all levels. A previously acquired building on the South side was remodeled to include a new box office and additional restrooms. The ground level below the stage now provides group and individual dressing rooms, an assembly area with kitchen facilities, a wardrobe room, and a large orchestra pit.
Fulton Opera House SEATING CHART
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.
Rita's opens in downtown Lancaster next to Fulton Theatre - LNP LancasterOnline
Rita's opens in downtown Lancaster next to Fulton Theatre.
Posted: Wed, 03 Jun 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]
It's Time to
Full time students with valid school ID and children 17 and under are eligible for Student Rush tickets at the box office window starting one hour before curtain time for the performance being purchased. In addition to its yearly Masterworks subscription series, the Lancaster Symphony continus to bolster its outreach into the community. The LSO formed Sound Discovery in 2005, which has grown to a nationally recognized suite of 8 education & outreach initiatives that serve nearly 10,000 Lancastrians of all ages each season.
Arts and Culture of Lancaster
Edwin Forrest Durang remodeled the interior into a full-fledged performance venue for an 1873 re-opening, at which point Fulton Hall was renamed Fulton Opera House. As the Fulton is run on a non-profit basis, it depends on a variety of grants, corporate sponsorship, and private donations to accomplish its mission. The Fulton is also a member of ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. The Fulton Opera House, also known as the Fulton Theatre or simply The Fulton, is a League of Regional Theatres class B regional theater located in historic downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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.
Special Events
Gunzenhauser put a unique stamp on his tenure with the LSO, programming new, unheard works in Lancaster, emphasizing American composers and numerous original voices with his "Only In Lancaster" repertory. Over the years, the Fulton Opera House entertained audiences with many of the great performers of American stage, including the Barrymore family, Sarah Bernhardt, W. C. Fields, Al Jolson, Mark Twain, Helen Hayes, Marcel Marceau, and many more. The theater, originally named Fulton Hall - after Robert Fulton, steam-engine pioneer and Lancaster County native - was conceived by Lancaster businessman and civic leader Christopher Hager. After changing hands several times through the second half of the 1800s, the theater underwent a major renovation after the Civil War.
that moves the collective soul of our community and honors our national historic landmark
The founding Board Chair, Kenneth Bates, Senior Vice President of Armstrong Cork, conceived of an annual Composer's Award that would bring the audiences of Lancaster face to face with the greatest works of modern music and living composers. Kenneth's wife, Maude Bates, helped found the Women's Symphony Association, which continues to support young musicians in Lancaster through concerto competitions, scholarships, and other educational activities. By bringing together the musicians of Lancaster in unique performances of ambitious repertoire, the LSO and Vyner forged a bond with the region that helped create the thriving arts scene we enjoy today. Today’s Lancaster Symphony, led by its new Music Director, Michael Butterman, is a highly accomplished professional ensemble of conservatory-trained musicians. The organization is led by representatives from the orchestra in collaboration with its professional staff.
Welcome to the Theatre
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.
Building
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Board Chair Sara Male also serves as Acting Principal Cello, Executive Director Guy McIntosh is a member of the Trumpet section, and Vice-Chair Brent Edmondson is its Principal Bass. With an enthusiastic and dedicated Board of Directors drawn from the community with the wind in its sails, the LSO is more determined than ever to enrich the lives of Lancastrians new and old through its excellent performances, community service, and deep bonds with those who value great music in the region. Curtis Institute of Music Professor Louis Vyner led the first performance of the LSO on May 1st, 1947, at JP McCaskey High School. The earliest iteration of the LSO was a community orchestra comprised of local musicians from the legal and medical field, local houses of worship, and the many corporations headquartered in the region. [Current LSO Board of Directors member Thomas Godfrey recalls seeing performances in the 1960s where the local proctologist played the viola, and the former district attorney played the bassoon!
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).
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).
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