The Fulton

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

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 Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

. It is reportedly the oldest working theatre in the United States. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1964.

Building

Fulton Hall is named after

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...

(1765-1815), Lancaster County's steam engine pioneer, and it is his likeness that is portrayed in the statue on the front facade. This statue is a replica of the original wooden statue, which has since been restored and now resides on display inside the interior lobby. The building itself was built on the foundation of Lancaster's pre-Revolutionary jail. In 1763, a vigilante gang known as the

Paxton Boys The Paxton Boys were Pennsylvania's most aggressive colonists according to historian Kevin Kenny. While not many specifics are known about the individuals in the group their overall profile is clear. Paxton Boys Lived in hill country northwest of ...

massacred 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 exterior wall of the jail courtyard is now the back wall of the theatre. Christopher Hager, a Lancaster merchant and civic leader, commissioned the renowned Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan (who later designed the Lancaster County Courthouse) to create a building that would serve as a community center for meetings, lectures, concerts, and theatrical performances. The building was erected in 1852. The Fulton Theatre was later modified by noted theatrical architect

Edwin Forrest Durang Edwin Forrest Durang (April 17, 1829June 7, 1911) was an American architect. He kept offices in Philadelphia and specialized in ecclesiastical and theatrical design. Life and career Durang was born in New York City, into a distinguished theatric ...

, is one of only three theatres recognized as

s (the others are the

Walnut Street Theatre The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnut ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and the Goldenrod Showboat in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

). The 1959 production of ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thro ...

'', starring

Jeanne Clemson Jeanne Clemson (1922 – September 12, 2009) was an American artistic director, theater director, actress, educator and preservationist. Clemson was considered instrumental in the efforts to save the Fulton Opera House, located in downtown ...

, marked that first time that a live theater production had been performed at the Fulton Opera House in thirty years.

Operation

A founding member of th
League of Historic American Theatres
(LHAT), the Fulton is operated by the Fulton Theatre Company, a non-profit organization. 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 an

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

House, operating under agreement with the Actor's Equity Association and the Union for Professional Actors and Stage Managers (which essentially means that its actors and production team are paid per collective bargaining agreements, as opposed to non-equity actors who are not paid per collective bargaining agreements or volunteers) and employs members of the

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), formerly known as Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC), is an independent national labor union established in 1959, representing theatrical directors and choreographer ...

and the United Scenic Artists. The Fulton is also a member of

ASSITEJ ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People, (french: Association Internationale du Théâtre de l’Enfance et la Jeunesse) was established in 1965 as an international alliance of professionals involved in theat ...

, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. The Fulton Theatre is home to six mainstage productions per year including previous productions of Disney's ''Newsies'', ''In The Heights'', Agatha Christie's ''The Mousetrap'', some of which are world premier originals (critically acclaimed ''Lightning Rod'', 2005); four family series productions, including the Fulton's own'' 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,'' ''Aladdin'', ''Jack and the Beanstalk, the Musical'', and other theatre for young audiences productions; and four studio series productions, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama ''Disgraced'', along with other riveting productions like ''Venus in Fur'', ''Veronica's Room'' and ''Other Desert Cities''. Although most casting takes place in New York City, regional auditions are also held. While many of The Fulton's regulars are Lancaster County natives who are delighted at the chance to return home to perform, nearly all quickly fall in love with the "Grand Old Lady" and her charm. In addition to providing a place of employment for professional actors, the Fulton Theatre Company is a complete production facility which employs full-time carpenters, electricians, scenic artists, painters, composers, lighting and sound technicians. Most set pieces and costumes are created in-house or at an adjacent workshop, and makeup, hair, and

wigs A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...

are created by a full-time designer. The Fulton also maintains a costume shop which provides access to professional quality costumes and props to schools, community theatre companies, and other organizations throughout the region. 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. Many famous actors have appeared at the Fulton. In December 1930

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

appeared as Christian St. Obin in ''A Kiss of Importance''. Peter Weir's film,
Witness
" starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

and

Kelly McGillis Kelly Ann McGillis (born July 9, 1957) is an American stage actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in ''Witness'' (1985), for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in ''Top Gun'' (1986); ''Made in ...

, much of which represents the lifestyle of the

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

premiered here in February, 1985.

References

* ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', edited by John Parker, tenth edition, revised, London, 1947, p. 1184.

External links

*
Building historyListing and photographs
at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Culture of Lancaster, Pennsylvania History of Lancaster, Pennsylvania Music venues completed in 1852 Theatres completed in 1852 National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Opera houses in Pennsylvania Theatres in Pennsylvania Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state historical marker significations 1852 establishments in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Opera houses on the National Register of Historic Places Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania

Building

Operation

See also

References

External links