Hershey Theatre, Performance venue in Hershey, United States.
Hershey Theatre is a performing arts venue in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with seating across multiple levels for close to 1,900 people, designed to host Broadway shows, concerts, and classical performances. The stage and technical equipment are set up to handle a wide range of live productions throughout the year.
The theatre opened in 1933 after Milton Hershey commissioned architect C. Emlen Urban to design it, at a time when much of the country was struggling through the Great Depression. Building it then was a deliberate choice, reflecting Hershey's belief that his growing town needed a place devoted to the arts.
Milton Hershey built this theatre as part of his broader vision to create a full city around his chocolate factory, giving workers and residents access to the arts. Visitors today can still feel that original purpose when they walk through the grand public spaces before a show.
The theatre sits on East Caracas Avenue and is easy to reach on foot from central Hershey. For those who want to see the building beyond a show, behind-the-scenes tours are available and give access to areas not open during regular performances.
The interior of the theatre was designed in a Venetian style, which is why the ceiling and walls feel more like a Mediterranean palace than a typical American building from the 1930s. That choice was deliberate, meant to set the space apart from ordinary cinemas and concert halls of the time.
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