Origins In the early 1920s, a building boom began in the West End of
Allentown. Residents wanted houses with yards and more open space with less noise than in Allentown's busy center city. Within four years, more than 150 homes with yards were built in that area. In addition to the homes, plans were made for a block of shops, offices and restaurants. The Civic Theater was an important part of this plan. The theater, located at 527 North 19th Street in Allentown, was developed by Rubin Mainker and Alex Minker and opened on September 17, 1928. "No expense has been spared. The walls inside were painted green with gold and silver accents. The outside of the building was bright yellow with fanciful decorations of birds, flowers, butterflies and elephants,"
The Allentown Morning Call reported.
Lehigh Valley-area alumni who have appeared at the Civic Theatre of Allentown include
Michaela Conlin (
Fox's Bones),
Dane DeHaan (
In Treatment),
Michael McDonald (
Broadway revival of
Hair),
Daniel Roebuck (
The Late Shift), actress
Amanda Seyfried (
Mama Mia), and actress
Christine Taylor (
The Wedding Singer).
Current status Civic Theatre entered the digital motion picture era when it replaced its traditional 35mm projectors with state-of-the art DCI compliant units. The conversion was completed in August 2013. Civic Theatre's live production arm has produced adaptations of
Charles Dickens'
A Christmas Carol. The production is being marked with special events, including a retrospective exhibition at Allentown's
Liberty Bell Museum. Civic's recent production of
Young Frankenstein was its best attended musical in recent years. Its production of ''
Breakfast at Tiffany's'' was the first post-Broadway production of the play since its
New York City close in 2013. The Civic Theatre began a two-phase renovation project that will restore the auditorium, upgrade the stage equipment and improve the backstage and front-of-house amenities. The project is led by Mills and Schnoering Architects with Stages Consultants providing theatre and acoustics consulting. ==See also==