Majestic Theater

Mission Statement

Organizing Principles

The Majestic Performing Arts and Cinema Center is owned by Gettysburg College, and operated under the following Organizing Principles established by the theater's Executive Committee of community and college representatives:

• Program a diverse series of professional touring artists to enliven and enhance the cultural life of the whole community and its visitors, including people with disabilities;
• Exhibit films daily according to the interests of the community and the evolving marketplace;
• Present a balance of college & community produced events;
• Contribute to the economic vitality of downtown and the growth of regional tourism; and
• Meet the highest organizational standards for professional practices, facility maintenance, and fiscal responsibility.

History

Making the Majestic, Majestic Again!

The Gettysburg Majestic Theater Renovation Project is a visionary partnership of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Greater Adams County community and Gettysburg College who purchased the building in 1992 as part of its long-term commitment to the revitalization of downtown. The partnership's bright vision for the Majestic's future is the result of a three-year feasibility study that documented the community's needs, and involved more than 200 community members who provided information and guidance through interviews, workshops, and correspondence.

The bold mission of the Gettysburg Majestic Theater Renovation Project:

• Restore the theater to its original 1925 Colonial Revival splendor;
• Create a new, 1950s cinema wing in honor of the theater's Eisenhower era;
• Renovate the facility to modern technical standards for the performing arts, cinema, and audience comfort, safety and accessibility;
• Operate the theater year-round to enliven the cultural life of the whole community by presenting a broad range of high-quality programs including Broadway shows, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, children's classics, local college and community performers, American independent films, film classics, and foreign films;
• Contribute to the economic revitalization of downtown.

In 2003 and 2004, a team of leading national experts in theater design and historic restoration conducted exhaustive research based on archival photographs, original architectural drawings, and on-site investigation in order to recreate the auditorium's 1925 opulent atmosphere. The construction project also modernized the theater's backstage production facilities, brought life-safety systems up to code, and vastly improved patron amenities. The total cost of the construction project was $16.5 million.

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