showbiz That’s

Whether in the midst of a global pandemic or music meltdown mere minutes before curtain call, the show must go on.

The Sumter Opera House, one of the city’s oldest and most iconic venues, has featured acts of all kinds on its stage for over a century.

Built between 1893 and 1895, it is the second opera house to stand at 21 N.

Main St. after the first was destroyed by a winter fire in December 1892. The venue was renovated into a movie theater, creating 300 jobs during the Depression-era, and the first film shown on the big screen was “Earthworm Tractors” with tickets 35 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

The venue has undergone several changes over the years before its Art-Deco interior was covered in black cloth as its doors closed in 1982. Reopened in 1984 thanks to the City of Sumter to be used for office space, renovations were completed in 1987. In the rear of the venue, City Hall and many of the City’s department and offices, including City Council chambers are still housed.

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