TCC Roper Performing Arts Center
Interior of the Roper Performing Arts Center
340 Granby Street
Norfolk Virginia 23510
757 - 822 - 1450
757 - 822 - 1451 (fax)
• See Images of the Theatre
General Information
The TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center occupies the former Loew's State Theater building in the revitalized downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Built in elegant style in 1926, Tidewater Community College lovingly restored this former movie palace and Vaudeville house to its original opulence.
Featuring sumptuous surroundings with gilded box seats, glass chandeliers and ornate, hand painted architectural details, the Roper has been lauded by theater critics as "A cathedral to the past". The Roper now hosts the range of the performing arts as well as feature films and college convocations, commencements and symposia. Comfortably seating up to 900 patrons, this vibrant centerpiece of the downtown entertainment district has been fitted out with state-of-the-art technology, enabling the production of the most complex and demanding staged presentations.
History
On May 10, 1926 in Norfolk, Virginia, the newest of Marcus Loew's stylish movie palaces opened its doors. Hailed as "Dixie's Million Dollar Dandy," the Loew's State Theater featured luxurious surroundings - gilded box seats, glass chandeliers and a state-of-the-art air conditioning system in which electric fans blew the humid sea air over huge blocks of ice. For thirty-five cents, one could catch the latest feature film, see six acts of Vaudeville, and be serenaded by both the Mighty Wurlitzer and the theater's own full-time orchestra. Over the years the charms of live entertainment couldn't keep Hollywood from upstaging Vaudeville, and eventually the spotlights were replaced by the Technicolor glow of the wide screen. As the decades rolled by, the elegant Loew's entertained generations of movie-goers, but slowly followed much of downtown Norfolk into disrepair. The silver screen flickered one last time in the late 1970's, and then went dark for over twenty years. Now downtown Norfolk has undergone an astounding renaissance of which this elegant old theater is a vibrant centerpiece. Owned by Tidewater Community College, the lovingly restored Loew's was reborn in 2000 as The Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center. Fitted out as a state-of-the-art performance venue and luxurious once again, the Roper offers world-class performing arts of every variety. These walls again resonate with the sound of applause, just as they did so long ago when happy patrons paid their two bits, howled at the Vaudeville comedians, and marveled at movies that talked.
Local Presenters
Open the original version of this page.
Usablenet Assistive is a UsableNet product. Usablenet Assistive Main Page.