Norma Terris Theatre
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The Norma Terris Theatre is a theatre in
Chester, Connecticut Chester is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The name is a transfer from Chester, in Engl ...
, and the second stage of
Goodspeed Musicals Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, the ...
. The theatre is dedicated to developing and presenting new musicals. Dedicated in 1984, the theatre is named in honor of the actress
Norma Terris Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...
, star of
Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...
’s ''
Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...
'' and a patron and trustee of the Goodspeed Opera House during her later years. She presided over the dedication of the Norma Terris Theatre, and in 1987 she established The Norma Terris Fund to develop the careers of new actors and to promote musical theatre. The Norma Terris Theatre was built as a knitting needle factory in the early 1900s for Susan Bates, Inc. In 1982, after locating to a larger facility, Susan Bates, Inc. donated its abandoned factory in Chester, Connecticut to Goodspeed Musicals. A 200-seat performing space, it opened on July 10, 1984 with the new musical ''Harrigan ’N Hart''.


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The Norma Terris Theatre
Chester, Connecticut Theatres in Connecticut Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut Buildings and structures in Middlesex County, Connecticut Theatres completed in 1984 1984 establishments in the United States