The St. George Theatre is located on Staten Island 's North Shore Empire Zone. Built almost 75 Years ago, this theatre once housed 3,000 people and was a showcase for celebrities of that time and later, as a motion picture venue. It enjoyed a successful economic life from 1929 until the 1970’s. At that time, vaudeville was entertainment of a bygone era and multi-screen, small capacity motion picture theatres were cropping up throughout the island. Attempts were made to re-vitalize the theatre by using it as a flea market, an antique showroom, a night club, and skating rink. None of these lasted very long and many who remembered or heard fond stories of its past grandeur, wondered what would become of the beautiful St. George Theatre . Hope was raised in January 2001 when, in his State of the City address, then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani promised resources for the renovation of the St.George Theatre into a Performing Arts Center which would ensure revitalization into the entire neighborhood. Unfortunately, the tragic events of 9/11/01 understandably put a halt to these resources.
The newly renovated St. George Theatre will serve as a Cultural Center for a myriad of activities, including after school programs, seminars in theatre production, acting, dance and voice as well as rehearsal and performance space, and even television and film location shoots. Large scale productions, national tours, grammy award concerts, best in comedy, opera, and children's shows, events that are almost exclusive to other boroughs, will be part of the cultural calendar at the St. George Theatre. And, of course the theatre could be home to many fund raising functions for numerous organizations, both island based and regional.
The entrance lobby of the theatre will remain open 7 days a week.
This "Center" will attract tourists to our Island , as well as those who work in that bustling area, and residents with information regarding the schedule of events at the theatre, as well as other attractions and functions across the Island.
The restoration of the St. George Theatre will provide jobs as well as afford the residents of Staten Island the opportunity to come together and enjoy a diversity of visual and performing arts, enhancing the cultural and economic vitality of all of Staten Island while the St. George Theatre is preserved and protected as a unique, once again vibrant structure.
