Civic Theatre, Performance venue in New Orleans, United States
The Civic Theatre is a live entertainment venue on Canal Street in New Orleans, with a main hall that seats around 1,200 people. The stage is large enough to host full touring productions, and the sound and lighting systems have been updated to meet current technical standards.
The Civic Theatre opened in 1906 as the Shubert Theatre, built by The Shubert Organization as its first venue outside New York and the oldest performance theatre in New Orleans. It hosted plays, vaudeville, concerts, burlesque and film; Cecil B. DeMille staged a production and Mae West performed there. Later known as the Star, Lafayette, Poché and Civic, it closed in the early 1990s and reopened in September 2013 after a $10 million renovation.
The Civic Theatre sits on Canal Street, one of the main corridors of New Orleans, where locals and visitors mix freely on show nights. The building draws a wide crowd, from regulars who follow local bands to first-time visitors attending a touring show.
The program changes often, so it is worth checking what is on before you go. The venue sits on Canal Street, within easy walking distance of the French Quarter and well served by the streetcar line that runs along the street.
Despite all the renovations, the exterior of the building has kept its early 1900s facade largely intact, which stands in sharp contrast to the updated interior. Many visitors notice this difference only once they step inside and find a fully modern technical setup behind the original walls.
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