The Canton Theatre is an old theatre located in the downtown area of

Canton, Georgia Canton is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 22,958, up from 7,709 in 2000. Geography Canton is located near the center of Cherokee County at (34.22730 ...

and has been in existence since early 1911. During that time the theatre has experienced many changes with redevelopments, expansions and even restoration after it had fallen into disrepair. The

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

provides patrons with

theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

and musical productions since its change into a non-profit theatre in 2003.

Original theatre

The theatre was originally used to show slides and

silent movies A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

when it first opened in

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

. In the early 1920s new owners changed the name to Bonita and began movie showings on Fridays and Saturdays. During this period the Bonita grew in popularity which led to renovation and expansion. The theatre eventually changed its name again to Haven put on top shows including their first talking motion picture 'Singing Fool'

starring A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and wh ...

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

. In the late 1930s the theatre changed ownership again and had its name changed to Canton Theatre It underwent a major redevelopment in which new safety technologies of the day were included and modelled to reproduce the Art Deco design popular at the time. The Canton Theatre reopened in September 1940.

Close and restoration

The theatre went into dramatic decline having continued to show movies since the renovation back in the late 1930s. The theatre was out of date and could not compete with the convenience and choice offered by the drive-ins and eventually closed during the 1970s. The theatre fell into serious disrepair following its closure before finally, in 1994, an individual bought the theatre for restoration. The City of Canton then acquired the property in 1997. In order to secure

financing Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

for

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

the City of Canton later deeded it to the Downtown Development Authority.

Charitable change

Today, the theatre stages

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions on a large scale, bringing

actors An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

and

patrons Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

from all over the

Metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

area together. In 2003, under the banner, of the Canton Preservation Inc the theatre became a section 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre enabling donations to be fully tax deductible.

References

External links

www.cantontheatre.com
Official Site Theatres in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Cherokee County, Georgia Tourist attractions in Cherokee County, Georgia {{coord, 34.2366, -84.4902, type:landmark_region:US-GA, display=title