The Media Theatre is a 440-seat theater in
Media, Pennsylvania
Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about west of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation with 1.6 million residents as 2020. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolita ...
, built in 1927 as a
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
house and cinema.
It is the largest regional professional theater that hires equity actors in Delaware County.
The Media Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1927, as a cinema decorated in the English Renaissance style. Real estate entrepreneur Walter Strine Sr. purchased the building in the 1970s and leased it to a company that operated it as a movie theater. He closed the theatre in 1990, and began repair work in 1992 to transform it into a performing arts center. The theatre opened on February 8 1994, with ''
My Fair Lady'' as its first production. For the building's 70th anniversary in 1997, the Media Theatre hosted
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the U ...
and 1930s jazz music and productions.
SEPTA
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
ran a decorated trolley car to honor the run of the theatre.
Strine sold the theatre to the Borough of Media in 2000. The entire enterprise was renamed “Media Music Theatre Company” in 2005. Media Theatre celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019 with a gala and benefit.
In December 2019, the Media Theatre hosted a memorial for Broadway actress and singer
Ann Crumb
Elizabeth Ann Crumb (May 25, 1950 – October 31,
2019) , who frequently performed at the theatre and considered it a "second home."
Since its first performance of ''My Fair Lady'', many musicals have performed at the theatre, including ''Sunset Boulevard'', ''The Wizard of Oz'', ''Chicago'', and ''Annie''.
''The Molly Maguires'' had its world-premiere at the theatre, which ended up becoming one of its most popular shows.
[ The theatre also offers classes, camps and productions for children and teens.]
References
{{reflist
Theatres in Pennsylvania
Buildings and structures in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Tourist attractions in Delaware County, Pennsylvania