Newtown Theatre

The Newtown Theatre has an extensive history dating back to 1831. The building was originally built as a hall for town gatherings and a non-sectarian church for traveling ministers. By the early 1850s, “Newtown Hall” (as it was then called) was used regularly for performances that ranged from social dances and concerts to theatrical productions and magic lantern shows. Throughout the 1850s, Newtown Hall also hosted anti-slavery meetings, which included sermons by Lucretia Mott and Frederick Douglass.

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The Newtown Theatre has an extensive history dating back to 1831. The building was originally built as a hall for town gatherings and a non-sectarian church for traveling ministers. By the early 1850s, “Newtown Hall” (as it was then called) was used regularly for performances that ranged from social dances and concerts to theatrical productions and magic lantern shows. Throughout the 1850s, Newtown Hall also hosted anti-slavery meetings, which included sermons by Lucretia Mott and Frederick Douglass.

In 1883, the building was reconstructed, larger than the first, and designed with stage performances in mind. In 1906 the first movie was shown, making it the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the United States.

In the fall of 2021, the theatre underwent a $600,000 internal renovation that has brought the building up to today's standards of comfort, convenience and accessibility.

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