The Carlisle Theatre, originally the Comerford Theatre, opened in May 1939 as an art deco movie palace in the heart of downtown Carlisle, PA. The Theatre flourished through the 1960s, acting as the “hub” of a vibrant downtown. With the advent of cineplexes, the Theatre entered a state of decline in the 1970s, eventually closing in 1986. In response to a desire to see the Theatre reopened as an anchor to a changing and revitalized downtown, a group of citizens formed the Carlisle Regional Performing Arts Center, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in 1990. After thousands of hours donated by a skilled volunteer workforce, the Theatre was restored to its 1930s Art Deco brilliance and reopened in 1993. Since then, the Theatre has been reinvigorated, and the programming has continued to develop, grow, and expand. It is now home to three main branches of the performing arts: Players on High (live theatre), Hollywood on High (film events), and Concerts & Rentals (music & community collaborations). There are a lot of exciting offerings at the Carlisle Theatre; each year offers musical concerts and performers, live musical theatre productions, programming for children and families, and award-winning and nominated films to fulfill the Theatre's mission of unifying communities through performing arts in an iconic venue. Supporting the Carlisle Theatre supports wellbeing of the community - let's keep arts alive another 85!