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The Peoples Bank Theatre has drawn visitors from near and far for over 100 years.
Originally built in 1911, the theater, formerly called the Hippodrome, quickly became an integral local institution.
In 1917, the theatre was destroyed in a fire. However, the owners immediately began work to rebuild it with goals of making it bigger and even better than before, and the new Hippodrome Theatre opened in 1919.
According to the Peoples Bank Theatre website, the new theatre was designed with a bigger stage, higher seating capacity, "exceptional acoustics" and more. It also featured a giant boiler for heating in cold weather, as well as an air cooling system that used well water to create a result similar to modern air conditioning -- the first system of its kind in Marietta.
The theater initially hosted Broadway plays, concerts, magic shows and silent films, but began showing talking pictures soon after the technology was made available.
After changes in ownership and significant financial struggles, the theater closed in 1985. In 1989, Dan Stephan Sr. purchased the theater. In 2004, he donated the theatre with the intention of developing it as a nonprofit and became the board's first director. Plans to reopen the theatre once again were in the works, and there was even a deal in place with Bank of America to become an investor, but the banking crisis of 2008 and Bank of America's subsequent bankruptcy prevented the deal from going through.
The administrators of the theater were looking into historical tax credit programs, and, soon enough, a deal was reached with Peoples Bank. The agreement was made in 2014, construction began in 2015 and the new Peoples Bank Theatre hosted its first show in 2016.
Hunt Brawley is the executive director of the Peoples Bank Theatre. Formerly an attorney in Baltimore, Md., he moved to Marietta and became involved with the theater.
Brawley has a deep fondness and appreciation for the theater and its resilience despite the struggles it has faced -- including the COVID-19 pandemic. He heard constantly throughout the pandemic how important the theatre was to the community, and he stands by those words.
"We can't let this theatre die," he emphasized. "It's a pretty important piece of the community."
Brawley also has high hopes for the future of the theater.
"We made it through COVID, are back on track and are trying to gear up," Brawley said. "We're trying to increase the size of our shows and the number of live shows we host."
He also touched on the growth of the theatre and its reach.
"We expanded not only for the immediate community, but on out, so people are starting to drive pretty good distances to come here," he said.
In addition, Brawley noted that he hopes to broaden the types of shows hosted by the theater, build up different programming and emphasize the youth and educational programs the theatre offers to the community, such as the upcoming CALT Sessions, which will feature discussions with and performances by Appalachian artists.
All in all, Brawley is hopeful for more growth and opportunity for the theatre and is looking forward to furthering community outreach.
"We want to diversify the program and broaden the scope of the theater," he said.