Majestic Theater Hosts Regional Theater Conference This April

Gettysburg College's Majestic Theater will welcome dozens of theater managers as host of a regional professional development conference presented by the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT), April 10-11, 2018.

During the two-day event, attendees will participate in a broad range of interactive, educational sessions including historic preservation and restoration, fundraising, audience security, marketing, film presentation, and concessions. Presenters will be LHAT board members including leading theatre professionals from major historic theatres across the country, as well as Broadway's Shubert Organization, Disney Theatrical Group, The Nederlander Organization and Jujamcyn Theatres. The conference will follow the League's quarterly board meeting at the Majestic, and will offer participants valuable networking opportunities with other theater managers and service providers. The conference is supported in part by grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jeffrey W. Gabel, the Majestic Theater's Founding Executive Director observed, "As the Immediate Past President of LHAT and the current Vice Chair of PCA, I was in the unique position to facilitate a partnership between these two prestigious arts organizations to bring this amazing conference to Gettysburg which is easily accessible to theater professionals throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. We already have nearly 40 registered attendees from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. Interested parties may still register online at http://www.lhat.org/conferences/regional-conferences."

Gettysburg College is indebted to the League which it joined 2001 as it began planning the Majestic's renovation and was introduced to leading theatre architects and restoration specialists who eventually played an invaluable role in restoring the Majestic. In November 2005, the 800 seat theater reopened on its 80th anniversary after a $16.5 million dollar renovation project which meticulously restored its 1925 Colonial Revival features including pressed tin ceiling, stained glass chandeliers, stenciled walls, and faux marbleized columns and pilasters. The project received $8.5 million in PA state economic redevelopment grants, $4 million in gifts from more than 300 private donors, and $4 million from Gettysburg College. The Majestic is open year-round and offers a diverse array of programming including a celebrity series of live touring shows, nightly award-winning independent film screenings, children's programming, and the latest in international HD telecasts from Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the National Theatre in London. Additionally, the theater annually presents numerous Gettysburg College concerts by the students of the Sunderman Conservatory of Music, as well as community presenters including Totem Pole Playhouse's beloved production of "A Christmas Carol" which runs for 16 performances in December.

Founded in 1976 by 42 charter theatre members, the League of Historic American Theatres, Inc., a non-profit membership association, has grown into a network of more than 300 historic theatres throughout the United States and Canada. Members include Broadway houses as well as theatres of all shapes and sizes in large and small communities including film, live performance, and other facilities.

The Majestic Theater at the Jennifer and David LeVan Performing Arts Center is owned and operated by Gettysburg College as a cultural treasure for its campus and the community.

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