The Colonial Theatre is located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 at 227 Bridge Street. Built in 1903 as a vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

 house, the "Colonial Opera House" brought professional shows and live entertainment to Phoenixville for the first time.

The Colonial Theatre is owned and operated by the Association for the Colonial Theatre (ACT), a nonprofit corporation. ACT is committed to the full restoration of the Colonial as a cultural arts center. The Colonial reopened in 1999, showing art and independent films as well as classics and children's programs.

History

Opened in 1903, the Colonial is the last surviving of four theatres once existing in the borough and the only theatre of its kind in Chester County

Chester County, Pennsylvania

-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...

. The Colonial was first home to live stage shows, vaudeville acts and musicals. Entertainers such as Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...

 and Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...

 performed there and the first stage show, The Beauty Doctor, starred Fred E. Wright

Fred E. Wright

Fred E. Wright was president of the Optical Society of America from 1918-1919.-External links:*...

.

In 1903, the first silent movie debuted, and in 1928, the first talkie, The Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer (1927 film)

The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...

. The Colonial was featured in the classic science fiction movie The Blob

The Blob

The Blob is an independently made 1958 American horror/science-fiction film that depicts a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes the small community of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania...

(1958), filmed in and around Phoenixville, Downingtown, Chester Springs

Chester Springs, Pennsylvania

Chester Springs is an unincorporated community in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is centered on West Pikeland Township, and extends into Upper Uwchlan Township, East Nantmeal Township, Wallace Township and West Vincent Township. The Chester Springs postal zone is considerably...

 and Royersford.

The Colonial was home to a Kimball pipe organ installed in 1975 and used for silent movies and pre-show recitals. The organ was sold to the Chicago Historical Society, but plans are currently underway to install an organ in the theatre.