Gettysburg College's Majestic Theater

Gettysburg College's Majestic Theater. The Grandest Small-Town Theater in America.

50+ annual live performances by nationally-known artists and Sunderman Conservatory of Music students , $20.7 million in community support since 2005 , 40,000+ annual visitors

, The Majestic Theater has always enriched the cultural life of the community. The theater's history began in 1925, when Gettysburg college alumnus and Gettysburg Hotel manager Henry Scharf built an annex north of the hotel with guest rooms, a gymnasium, and a 1,200-seat vaudeville and silent movie theater. The theater was modernized over the decades, and during the 1950s and 1960s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower often attended movies at the Majestic when in residence at their nearby farm. A fire destroyed the hotel in 1983, but the theater was saved by the heroic efforts of volunteer firemen., In 1988, Gettysburg College purchased the hotel and theater and began renovating the facilities. The hotel reopened in 1991. A $16.5-million restoration project launched in 2004, returning the Majestic Theater to its 1925 opulence and advancing it to a world-class performing arts center. The Majestic reopened on its 80th birthday, November 14, 2005., Today, Gettysburg College's Majestic Theater features an 800-seat theater, two cinemas with stadium seating, an art gallery, café, and professional production facility. The theater is open year-round with daily programming, including live performances, first-run independent film, and cinema classics. The center is the rehearsal and performance venue for the Sunderman Conservatory of Music., [Captions:] , Celebrity Headliners Since 2005 , Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Arlo Guthrie Jr., Bob Newhart, Darlene Love, David Crosby, Diane Reeves, Elaine Stritch, Elvis Costello, Hal Holbrook, James Earl Jones, Jim Brickman, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Lettermen, Lewis Black, Lily Tomlin, The Oak Ridge Boys, Paula Poundstone, Postmodern Jukebox, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Rosanne Cash, Roy Clark, Smothers Brothers, The Temptations, When staying at their Gettysburg farm in the 1950s, President Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower attended performances at the theater, which occasionally housed the White House press corps. In 1955, Mamie's birthday coincided with the theater's anniversary and local residents sang "Happy Birthday" to her there., Gettysburg College has strong connections to the life and legacy of President Dwight Eisenhower. He received an honorary doctorate, served on the Baord of Trustees, and wrote his memoirs on campus. Gettysburg College's Eisenhower Institute for Public Policy and Leadership engages undergraduate students in top-level dialogue among policymakers.