The Music Hall (Portsmouth)
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Coordinates: The Music Hall is a 906-seat theater located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the United States. Built in 1878, The Music Hall claims to be the oldest operating theater in New Hampshire and the 14th oldest in the United States. An independent venue that offers music, readings, dance, and cinema, The Music Hall brings in 90,000 visitors a year [1]. In the past it has hosted musicians like Suzanne Vega and authors like Dan Brown.
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[edit] History
Opened in 1878, The Music Hall hosted a variety of well-known national acts including John Phillips Sousa, George M. Cohan, Al Jolson, and Harry Houdini before pressure from four other downtown theaters and a bad movie distribution deal forced it shut down in 1926.
The Music Hall reopened in 1945 as The Civic Theater, and stayed open until 1971 when a new owner closed it to eliminate competition. The venue also closed briefly in 1947 after showing Reefer Madness to the chagrin of local politicians.
A failed attempt to reopen the theater was made in 1985, but it remained shuttered until two years later when the theater was taken over by the Friends of the Musical Hall, the non-profit organization that currently operates the venue [2].
In 2006, it was estimated that The Music Hall contributed $4.1 million to the local economy [3].
[edit] Restoration project
In 2003, The Music Hall was named an "American Treasure" under a program sponsored by the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which allowed the organization to collect a large federal grant to begin restoration work [4]. Armed with $395,000 in grant money from the federal government, work began on a multi-phase restoration project designed to return the theater to the way it was during its heyday, circa 1901 [5].
In mid-2007, the restoration project was still in Phase I, which includes the refurbishment of the theater's proscenium arch, auditorium ceiling and stairs. As of July 2007, more than $910,000 had been fund raised to complete the work. During exploratory work on the water-stained ceiling, elaborate designs including Roman figures, were discovered under four coats of paint [6].
Work on the archway was completed during the summer of 2006, and the restored interior of the auditorium was revealed on September 8, 2007 [7].
[edit] Live performances
[edit] Intimately Yours
A music series that takes large-scale stars such as Bruce Cockburn and Suzanne Vega and puts them in a smaller venue setting.
[edit] Writers on a New England Stage
An award winning series that collaborates with New Hampshire Public Radio to create interviews with famous authors like Dan Brown and John Updike.
[edit] Kids RULE!
A series of shows primarily for kids.
[edit] Cinema
Mainstream, Independent, and Foreign films are shown in this Summer showcase of films.
[edit] Telluride by the Sea
A film festival that has in the past hosted such films as Capote, Finding Neverland, and Bob Dylan: No Direction Home.
[edit] Wildcard Movies
One night each year a random surreal film is selected as the wildcard movie that year.
