Arts & Theater

Theatre Albany

Among the pecan groves and cotton fields of southwest Georgia, live theatre flourishes under the banner of Theatre Albany. This award-winning organization has offered outstanding performances since its inception in 1932. Theatre Albany is the oldest and one of the most highly regarded cultural organizations in the city of Albany.

After many years occupying several downtown sites, Theatre Albany acquired the home of Captain John A. Davis in 1964 for its permanent residence. This remarkable white columned antebellum treasure adapted well to its new role and, in 1980, it earned designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Theatre Albany produces a diverse and wide-ranging bill of fare, including popular Broadway plays and musicals, classic dramas, contemporary plays, and even original works. The theatre is a wonderful source of entertainment for the entire Southwest Georgia region.

For more information, visit theatrealbany.com.



State Theater

Albany Theatre is a historic theater in Albany, Georgia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 2006. The Albany Theatre opened on September 12, 1927. The theatre is no longer in operation. It is located at 107 North Jackson Street.

The Albany Theatre's first production featured H. L. Tallman on the Robert Morton Organ Company pipe organ (Opus 2304) along with Ralph Barnes and his Albany Theatre Orchestra accompanying The Magic Flame starring Ronald Colman and Vilma Bánky. Homer W. McCallon was the theater's director. The theatre adjusted to films with sound and remained in business until the 1970s.

The theatre was purchased from the Farkas Estate by Oglethorpe Development Group, a minority enterprise which began underwriting a restoration of the theatre as a performing arts center.[2] A 2011 plan was to convert the theater into an apartment building.

The Theatre caught fire in the early morning hours of January 24, 2018. Investigators believe the fire was started when vagrants living in the building threw a lit cigarette onto the roof and caught trash on fire. One person died of soot and smoke inhalation. Three other people, believed to be living in the building, were rescued.



Albany Municipal Auditorium

The Albany Municipal Auditorium is a multi-purpose auditorium located in downtown Albany, Georgia, U.S. The 965-seat, classic style auditorium includes an orchestra level, as well as first and second balconies and it was listed as "Municipal Auditorium" on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior in 1975. The auditorium is part of a sports, entertainment and convention complex that also includes the Albany Civic Center and the Veterans Park Amphitheater.

Designed by architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, the Albany Municipal Auditorium was built in 1915 to replace an old wooden auditorium used for Chautauqua programs. The auditorium was host to many talents of the music world, the stage and television, including an Irving Berlin musical road show in the 1920s. In the 1950s and 1960s, telethons were held in the auditorium. These telethons attracted Hollywood stars to Albany, including most of the cast of Bonanza, Wagon Train, The Virginian and even starlet Jayne Mansfield. The auditorium was abandoned in 1972 and stood vacant for years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1974. Restoration of the auditorium started in 1986. In 1990, the Albany Symphony Orchestra reopened the renovated auditorium, performing a Gala Concert with Albany native Ray Charles.

The Albany Municipal Auditorium is the home of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The auditorium hosts the Deerfield-Windsor School's annual all-student Spring Musical, Ballet Theatre South's (formerly Albany Ballet Theater) annual production, the annual Andersonville Theological Seminary graduation ceremony[7] and various concerts and stage plays.