The NorVa is a performing venue located in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, the name being a syllabic abbreviation of the city and state of its location.

About

The theatre was the brainchild of local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel, who have also developed the Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion and have ties to the development of

Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach, formerly known as GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater, is a 20,000-seat outdoor concert venue, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. History The amphitheater opened in 1996, with 7,500 seats, ...

. In 2014, the NorVa was acquired by

Anschutz Entertainment Group The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports even ...

. The original venue opened in 1922 as a 2,000-seat motion picture and live entertainment (

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 ...

) theater. It continued as a movie theater into the 1970s. The building served as home to the Downtown Athletic Club from 1980 until 1998. The NorVa reopened as a concert venue on April 28, 2000, with

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

performing the inaugural show.

Movie theater history

* Built by The Johnson Construction Co. * Operated by the W.W.V. (Wells, Wilmer, and Vincent) Co., Inc. * Part of the Wells entertainment group which included Granby Theatre and Wells Theatre. * William S. Wilder was the first manager before opening The Colley Theater (Naro Expanded Cinema) in 1936, and The Commodore Theater in 1945. * Newspaper articles of the time used "theater" and "theatre" interchangeably. * Pipe organ manufactured by The Robert Morton Co. * Norva Concert Orchestra Director - Prof. Charles Borjes * Original Organist - Jack Griffith * Chairs furnished by Virginia School Supply Co. of Richmond, Virginia. 1922 * November 27 - Bright Eyes and

The Man Who Saw Tomorrow ''The Man Who Saw Tomorrow'' is a 1981 documentary-style movie about the predictions of French astrologer and physician Michel de Notredame (Nostradamus). ''The Man Who Saw Tomorrow'' is presented (one might say "hosted") and narrated by Ors ...

were the first films. * November 30 - The Sin Flood

External links

The 125-Plus People, Places and Things Ruling the Rock & Roll Universe, Rolling Stone (2008)The Best Music Venues in America: Readers' Choice, Rolling Stone (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:NorVa, The Theatres in Virginia Music venues in Virginia Buildings and structures in Norfolk, Virginia Culture of Norfolk, Virginia 1922 establishments in Virginia Anschutz Corporation Downtown Norfolk, Virginia