North Shore Music Theatre facts for kids
The theater building in 2012
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| Address | Beverly, Massachusetts United States |
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| Owner | Bill Hanney |
| Type | Theatre-in-the-round |
| Production | Concerts, Musicals |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1954 |
| Reopened | 2010 |
| Website | |
| official website: https://www.nsmt.org/ | |
The North Shore Music Theatre is a very special place in Beverly, Massachusetts. It's the biggest working regional theater in all of New England. What makes it extra cool is that it's one of the few theatre-in-the-round stages left in the United States. This means the audience sits all around the stage, making you feel super close to the action! Today, a businessman named Bill Hanney owns this amazing theatre.
Contents
History of the Theatre
How It All Started
The North Shore Music Theatre began in 1955. Three people, Steven Slane (a theater producer), Ruby Newman (a bandleader), and C. Henry Glovsky (an attorney), worked together to create it. At first, they had bigger plans for a restaurant and other buildings. But by 1961, they decided to focus just on the theatre. They even started a non-profit group called the North Shore Community Arts Foundation to support it.
Growing Bigger and Better
When the theatre first opened, it showed comedies with famous stars. In the 1960s, after a big road (Route 128) was finished nearby, the theatre got some great upgrades. They added permanent walls, heating, and air conditioning. The number of seats grew from 1,000 to 1,750, and then to 1,800! After some changes in 2005, it now has 1,500 seats.
The North Shore Music Theatre became the largest non-profit theatre in New England. Each year, up to 350,000 people came to see the musicals! The theatre also hosted concerts by celebrities and special musicals just for kids. Plus, it had a Youth Performance Academy. This academy gave young actors a chance to perform on a real stage. The theatre even showed the very first performance of the famous musical Memphis in 2003. It also brought popular shows like Hairspray and Ragtime to the area for the first time.
Facing Challenges and Reopening
In 2005, the theatre faced some tough times, including a fire. It also had financial difficulties. One big reason for this was a decision to cancel the very popular annual show A Christmas Carol for another musical. This made many people upset. By 2009, the theatre had to announce that it couldn't open for the season. They had hoped to raise money to keep going, but it wasn't enough. Many people who had bought tickets for the 2009 shows did not get their money back.
When the theatre closed in June 2009, it owed money to many different groups. But then, good news arrived! In November 2009, Bill Hanney, who owned other theatres and movie cinemas, decided to buy the North Shore Music Theatre. He worked with Citizens Bank and a director named Evans Haile. Together, they reopened the theatre in the summer of 2010!
The Theatre Today
Under Bill Hanney's ownership, the North Shore Music Theatre is doing great! Each year, it puts on a series of five main shows. It also continues its special tradition of performing A Christmas Carol every holiday season.
In 2020, the theatre had to close for a while because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it reopened in the fall of 2021 with a popular show called Mamma Mia!. After that, they put on their 30th annual A Christmas Carol!
The theatre continues to bring exciting shows to the stage. For example, the 2024 season will include musicals like Fiddler on the Roof, Frozen, Tootsie, Million Dollar Quartet, and Titanic.
