Visit our photo in the Marietta Community Foundation’s Grant Your Grant album on Facebook, give it a ‘like’! The three photos that receive the most ‘likes’ from November 12th through November 18th will receive a portion of $10,000 in matched funds, sponsored by Superior Toyota Hyundai.
In just three years since the groundbreaking for the Peoples Bank Theatre restoration, the Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theatre Association has transformed this once-vacant theatre to a thriving, 950-seat performing arts center in downtown Marietta. In our first two years, Peoples Bank Theatre has welcomed more than 50,000 patrons to nearly 200 events.
Nonprofit organizations that currently hold an Agency Fund with the Foundation were eligible to submit two photos that best capture the essence of how their organization has evolved. One photo from the past and one from the present, illustrating where their organization was and where they are now.
Our two photos are of our historic theatre, just as construction and rehabilitation of the nearly 100-year-old building was beginning in late 2014 and a recent sold-out show with America’s Got Talent finalist Catapult Dance. The $7.5 million rehabilitation of our facility was completed December 2015, and we held our grand opening in January of 2016. Prior to this, the theatre had been dark for three decades. Today, less than two years since reopening our doors, Peoples Bank Theatre has welcomed tens of thousands of guests to nearly 200 events, including more than two dozen sold-out shows. In addition, guest artists have given a number of free performances for more than 2,000 local school-age youths. For many of these young people, these performances have been their first opportunity to experience the magic of live performance.
In addition to bringing the arts to life and delighting audiences, the theatre is also taking shape as a driver of downtown economic activity, bringing as many as 600-950 guests at a time to historic Marietta, where in addition to taking in a show, they shop, dine, play, and stay. As one of the largest performing arts centers in southeast Ohio, Peoples Bank Theatre is providing a wealth of experiences to local residents, as well as visitors from more than 30 states.