A Colorful Past & A Bright Future

The Geyer Performing Arts Center was originally built in 1900 and operated by Andrew Geyer as the Geyer Opera House. In 1912 the building was sold and renamed The Scottdale Theatre. In the early years, the main entertainments produced were minstrels, operettas, and vaudeville acts. A 1926 major reorganization changed the focus from live performances to movies. The new marquee read The Strand and John Bixler was appointed as manager of the movie house. Our theatre was one of the first in the area to be equipped with a Vitaphone system for the new talking pictures of the era. In 1942 Mr. Bixler became the owner of the theatre and continued to show movies until 1969.

The Lights were turned off in 1971 and the building sat dark and quiet for over 16 years. Then in April of 1987 a group of citizens formed The Scottdale Showtime Inc., purchased the building, and began renovations. In 1988 the Actors and Artists of Fayette County produced the first show, Man of La Mancha. In 2005, Showtime reorganized and drew upon its history for a new name – The Geyer Performing Arts Center. The Geyer Performing Arts Center, a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization & an EITC eligible charity, remains the owner of this building, which is a tangible like to the area’s prosperous past.

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