The Fulton Theatre on Prince Street in Lancaster, PA, is finally returning to live shows. Opera houses and theatres across the country have been heavily affected by the covid 19-pandemic. Only at The Fulton Theatre, the staff size has decreased by 70%, in order to maintain the financial health of the organization through the pandemic. The theatre has lost a significant amount due to lost ticket sales, as well.
Summer concert
As more and more people are getting vaccinated, places are starting to open up, and among them are theatres. The upcoming season at The Fulton Theatre is starting to look bright.
This summer, from early July until Mid-Agust, the theatre will be greeting their audiences back, with a concert called "Together We Celebrate". The theatre will follow guidelines from CDC to ensure they are welcoming the audience and their staff to a safe environment.
First off on the main stage is the musical Fun Home. The Tony Award®-winning darling of 2015 is based on the real-life story of cartoonist Alison Bechdel. Alison’s creative imagination becomes real as she recalls how her families’ dysfunctional dynamic upbringing shaped who she has become. Maple Avenue has never looked so familiar and yet unrecognizable as we flip through the sketchbooks of her life’s most pivotal moments; preadolescents, college years, and where she finds herself today. This achingly beautiful portrait of the family examines our relationships within, and how family holds the keys to our successes, and ultimately they hold the keys to our hearts. The musical will run from September 9th to October 24th.
Through the holidays, from November 2021 to January 2022 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella will take place on the main stage. This fairy tale is one of the most romantic stories ever told, and in this new Broadway adaptation, there is a twist to it all. Cinderella loses her glass slipper after the ball, but she takes charge of her own destiny, with a finale that proves anything is possible.
Cultural institution
The Fulton Theatre on Prince Street is a landmark in the city of Lancaster, PA. Back in 1852, Christopher Hager, a Lancaster merchant and civic leader wanted to create a building that would serve as a community center for meetings, lectures, concerts, and theatrical performances in the county. The Fulton Theatre was built on the foundation of Lancaster’s pre-Revolutionary jail. He commissioned the renowned Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan to create this building. It was named Fulton Hall, after the county’s steam engine pioneer, Robert Fulton.
The world has changed a lot in the past year, and so has The Fulton Theatre. Renovations have been completed in order to be able to welcome their guest back into a safe place. The pandemic is the first time in the building’s long history, through the Civil War, WWI, and WWII, that it has been closed for the community.
Though they've had a long pause, The Fulton Theatre will continue to be a cultural institution and a gathering place once again for Lancaster County and beyond.