The History of 75 West Main Street
The Arcade Theatre opened on September 28, 1916. At the time it was built, the Arcade Theatre had the largest stage east of the Mississippi River. The Arcade and a second theater, the Strand, showed serials on Saturdays. During the silent-film era, a pipe organ provided accompaniment at the Arcade, while either a pianist or a player piano provided music at the Strand.
On February 24, 1954, Warner Bros. Theatres Inc. sold the building to Transamerica Waynesboro Realty Corp., which sold the property to N.W.O. Inc. on February 20, 1966. N.W.O. Inc. demolished the Arcade Theatre and built the current building that houses the Waynesboro Theatre.
The Waynesboro Theatre was rebuilt as a Jerry Lewis Cinema franchise theater, promoting family orientated films. It was purchased by Lou Radakovich in 1976 and showed first run G to R rated films. The theatre closed in 2014; however, The Waynesboro Community Theatre Project soon formed to preserve the cinema as a crucial component of a vibrant downtown and overall quality of life.
Through private and public support, Waynesboro Theatre underwent extensive renovations and reopened on November 20, 2015 with high-end digital picture and surround sound and premium seating.
In 2015, many renovations were made to the facility, including a new, modern exterior, the concession area, bathrooms and the large 200-seat auditorium. Additionally, the new theatre boasts all-new digital picture and sound, plus premium seating, all for an affordable ticket price.
After renovations were complete the Waynesboro Theatre was operated by HighRock Group and eventually New Vision, who purchased HighRock Group in January 2019.
In early 2020, New Vision filed for bankruptcy and Waynesboro Theatre was closed. Later that year, Waynesboro Community Theatre Project decided that they wanted to open again for the people of Waynesboro and surrounding areas. With the help of sponsors and donors the Waynesboro Theatre opened their doors showing second-run films.
Waynesboro Community Theatre Project is a non-profit organization. Our goal is to have affordable ticket prices and concessions. We currently show second-run movies every Friday & Saturday night. Our facility is also available for corporate events, birthday parties and more! If you would like to rent the facility, volunteer, donate, or sponsor a movie at the Waynesboro Theatre, please reach out to waynesborotheatreonmain@gmail.com.
Come visit the Waynesboro Theatre in Downtown Waynesboro!
Waynesboro Theatre | 75 W. Main St. Waynesboro, PA 17268 | Phone: 717-387-5335 | Email: waynesborotheatreonmain@gmail.com