Welcome to the Sumter Opera House!

Contents

Opera House
     Facebook
Columbia Childen's Theatre (2010-2011)
Sumter's House Series
     Classics II Showtimes
     Sumter's House of Classic Movies (Information and Showtimes)
     Kids' Movies Showtimes (Saturday Matinees)
History of the Sumter Opera House
Contact Information (Tours, etc.)
     Ticket Sales
     Seating Chart
     Location and Maps
     Floor Guide
Mailing List
Rental

Opera House

The Sumter Opera House is located on North Main Street in the heart of downtown Sumter. The historic Opera House is downtown's center focal point and crown jewel. As a center for the performing arts, the Opera House has several successful monthly programs and special performances throughout the year, ranging from film, dance, theater, concerts, and beyond.  The historic Sumter Opera House invites you to be entertained through its diverse and affordable cultural performances. 

 

The Columbia Children's Theatre comes to Sumter!

The Sumter Civic Theatre (Opera House) is pleased to announce that the Columbia Children's Theatre will be bringing its 2010-2011 season to Sumter!  All performances are $8.00 for adults and children 3 and older (children under 3 attend free) and are held at 3 PM on the dates below.  Advance tickets can be purchased at the Swan Lake Visitors Center (call 803-436-2640; toll-free at 1-888-688-4748).

Click on the name of the upcoming show for additional information (please note:  showtimes listed on these pages are for Columbia; for Sumter showtimes see above or click here).

Sunday, October 3:  Schoolhouse Rock Live!

Sunday, December 12:  A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas

Sunday, February 27, 2011:  Alice in Wonderland

Sunday, May 1, 2011:  The Somewhat True Tale of Robinhood

For more infomation, please visit www.columbiachildrenstheatre.com.

The Opera House features several monthly performances each Friday night as part of its Sumter's House series.  The newest addition to these series is Sumter's House of Classics II.  Classics II features more classic films, usually with more social or cultural significance than our usual classic movies.  Classics II showings are the first Friday night of each month at 7:30 PM and admission is always $2.50.  Concessions are available.

Coming Soon to Classics II:

Friday, September 3:  The Wizard of Oz

Friday, October 1:  Plan Nine From Outer Space and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (B-Movie DOUBLE FEATURE!)

And don't forget Sumter's House of Classic Movies!

The Sumter Opera House shows classic films the second Friday of each month as part of the Sumter's House of Classic Movies series.  The Sumter Opera House is truly the best place to enjoy classic movies, presented the way they were meant to be seen in a gorgeous Art Deco moviehouse.  Its cultural history as Sumter’s first movie theater brings fond memories of the "good old days" and creates new ones for young and old alike.  Each feature film is provided by the Sumter County Library and is preceded with traditional cartoons to give movie goers the feeling of stepping back in time.  The show starts at 7:30 PM and admission is $2.50.  All proceeds benefit the Sumter County Library's children's programs.

Coming Soon to Sumter's House of Classic Movies:                     

Friday, September 10:  To Kill a Mockingbird

Friday, October 8:  Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds

Saturday Kids' Movie:  Join us Saturday's at 11 AM for $1.00 kids' movies year round!  Starting August 21, 2010, the Opera House will be bringing you quality children's programming every week (some Saturdays excluded; please check schedule frequently).

For more information, click here.

The Sumter Opera House is always expanding its offerings, so please check back often for more exciting programs and updates!  For more information on the Sumter's House series schedule, please check our online Calendar of Events.  

History of the Sumter Opera House

The Opera House is not only a state-of-the-art performing arts facility.  It is a beautiful historic site with a rich and intriguing past.

The Opera House in its present form was built from 1893-1895, following the destruction of the first Opera House in December 1892 by fire.  In 1936 the Opera House was renovated into a movie theater.  The renovations created 300 jobs for Depression-era workers and cost $120,000.  The very first film shown at the Opera House was Earthworm Tractors.  Tickets to the first movie were 35 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

During its tenure as a movie theater the Opera House underwent several changes.  In 1973 it was officially listed on the National Register of Historical Places.  Sadly, much of the wonderful Art Deco gold-leaf, which has since been restored by French restoration artists, was painted black or covered with black cloth.  In 1982 the Opera House closed its door after 46 years of operation as a movie theater.

Fortunately, the City of Sumter, in need of additional office space and hoping to attract more visitors to the downtown area, purchased the building in 1984 and began a loving and faihful restoration of the Opera House.  The City's renovation of the facilities represents one of the first steps in a growing movement toward downtown revitalization and historic preservation that continues in Sumter today.  Renovations were completed in 1987, just in time for the City of Sumter to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Council-Manager form of government, an innovation of the Progressive movement that was first adopted in Sumter in 1912.

The Opera House still houses City Hall and many of the City's departments and offices, including City Council's chambers.  The first floor auditorium is a popular and gorgeous facility that hosts local, regonal, and even national talent on a regular basis.  Recent performers include classical pianist Thomas Pandolfi and comedians James Gregory and Chad Riden, as well as Grammy-Award winner Linda Davis and county music up-and-comer Lee Brice.  Many grade schools and colleges hold their graduation ceremonies in the Opera House each year.

For more information about the history of the Opera House, please consult this History of the Sumter Opera House (PDF).*

To arrange tours, to learn more about the Opera House, or to inquire about upcoming events or rentals, please contact Tyler Cook, Cultural Coordinator for the City of Sumter, at the following:

 Tyler Cook
 Cultural Coordinator
 City of Sumter
 21 North Main Street
 PO Box 1449
 Sumter, SC 29151
 803-436-2616

Sean Hackett
Opera House Intern
City of Sumter
803-436-2616

Ticket Sales

Please call the Swan Lake Visitor Center for ticket information at 803-436-2640 or 1-888-688-4748.

Seating Chart

The Opera House seats around 520 patrons.  This seating chart shows the seating arrangement within the Opera House (note:  diagram is NOT to scale)

Note:  Seats A2, A18, and J1 are not available.

Location and Maps

The Sumter Opera House is located on North Main Street. Liberty Street (US 76/763) crosses the center of downtown North Main Street. Traveling from Hwy. 76/378 bypass you will need to exit at the Main Street exit and travel south to Downtown Sumter.

Below are a series of maps to the Opera House from popular Sumter landmarks.

Directional Map (PDF)*
Map from Patriot Hall (PDF)*
Map from Swan Lake (PDF)*
Map from Shaw AFB (PDF)*

Floor Guide

In addition to serving as a modern performing arts center in a historic downtown landmark, the Sumter Opera House is also the home of City Hall.  The Main Street entrance provides access to all four floors of the Opera House.

1st Floor:  Opera House Auditorium, 1st Floor Conference Room; rear entrance (access via Harvin Street):  Water Department
2nd Floor:  Communications Director, Downtown Development, Events Coordinator, Cultural Coordinator, IT Department
3rd Floor:  Human Resources
4th Floor:  Administrative Offices, Mayor's Office, City Manager's Office, Council Chambers

For general inquiries (inquiries that do not specifially concern the Opera House auditorium or upcoming events) and to access the Opera House directory, please contact the following:

Sumter Opera House
21 N. Main Street
P.O. Box 1449
Sumter, SC 29151
803-436-2500

Mailing List

E-mail us at sumteroperahouse@sumter-sc.com telling us you would like to be added to our email distribution list. This distribution list will keep you up to date on the current events in the Sumter Opera House.

Rental

The historic Sumter Opera House is available for rent. This world-class performing arts venue will enhance your production and provide your audience with a magnificent experience they will remember for a lifetime. Please call The Swan Lake Visitors Center at 803-436-2640 or toll-free at 1-888-688-4748 for availability and scheduling, or check out all of our rental facilities here.  You can download a copy of the Opera House rental application here.

*To view a PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.
Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.