The Music Hall
VISION STATEMENT
The Music Hall is an historic stage that plays a joyous and relevant role in the life of today's community.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Music Hall enlivens the public's appreciation of our community through the enjoyment of cultural programs whose hallmarks are:
·Excellence - The very best in local, national and international talent.
·Diversity - A wide-range of performances to serve the whole community.
·Relevance - Performances that bring joy to the world, delight to the young at heart, inspiration to the world-weary, understanding to contemporary concerns, and community support to worthy causes.
Description:
The Seacoast's Premier Performing Arts Center
The mission of The Music Hall is to present the very best of diverse performing and related arts and to serve as an active and vital arts center for the enrichment of the Seacoast community.
Our vision is to be the Seacoast's premier performing arts center, fulfilling our role as the anchor cultural organization in our community and striving for national recognition with our programming and restoration. We will emerge as an American Treasure through a combination of vibrant programming and restoration that is historically respectful while balancing contemporary needs and design. As a dynamic performing arts center we will enliven our community with diverse performance genres including trademark programming with an outlook that is contemporary, inclusive, and classic. We are passionately invested in the cultural health of our community through our commitment to outreach to the underserved and to provide educational opportunities for children and adults alike.
About The Music Hall: The Seacoast’s Premier Performing Arts Center The Music Hall is a non-profit performing arts center that entertains more than 90,000 patrons annually with acclaimed film, music, theater, and dance performances. The historic 900-seat theater, built in 1878, is the oldest in New Hampshire, the second oldest in New England, and the fourteenth oldest operating in the United States. Designated by the U.S. Senate as "An American Treasure" in the national Save America's Treasures Program through the National Park Service, The Music Hall is embarking on a major restoration project to restore and improve the historic theater. CLICK HERE to learn more. In addition to its own diverse programming, The Music Hall hosts community benefits and celebrations, contributes $4.1 million to the local economy, and acts as the cultural anchor in a thriving Seacoast economy. Read the Portsmouth Herald article about the economic impact of The Music Hall.
History:
On Christmas Eve of 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes had just been elected president, Alexander Graham Bell had just invented the telephone, the United States National Baseball League had just been founded, and the theater that stood on the site of The Music Hall burned to the ground.
Within one year, primarily through the efforts of the brothers and sisters of the Peirce family of Portsmouth, a new theater and meeting hall loomed over the outskirts of Market Square. The Music Hall opened its doors (reported to be large enough for horses and elephants) on January 29, 1878.
Lit by large windows and a chandelier with 150 gas jets, The Music Hall hosted an opening night audience that was introduced to the comedy "Caste" and the farce "John Wopps," both brought north from Boston for the occasion. The opening speech was given by the mayor to a sold out house (tickets could be purchased at the pharmacy down the street for 5? to 50?), and the show was covered by the local newspaper (soon to be The Herald).
By the turn of the century, The Music Hall was an integral part of the Portsmouth community. Frank Jones, one of our leading businessmen, purchased the Hall (reportedly for a young friend with a penchant for opera singing). Mr. Jones spent his time as owner refurbishing the seats, adding the proscenium arch and opera boxes, and adding decoration. Upon his death in 1903, The Music Hall was sold to the Portsmouth Theatre Company, co-owned by F.W. Hartford who would later become the editor of The Portsmouth Herald.
In 1926 it closed its doors due to the competition from the four other theatres in downtown Portsmouth and a bad business deal with its film distributor, but not before artists such as John Phillips Sousa, George M. Cohan, Al Jolson, and Harry Houdini performed there.
It was re-opened in 1945 as The Civic Theatre, and stayed open for over 25 years (aside from a dark period that resulted from a short stint in the City Hall dog house for showing the film "Reefer Madness" in 1947). Within the latter half of the 20th Century, The Music Hall was once again a great meetinghouse, concert hall, and cinema. But in 1971 it was purchased by E.M. Lowe and closed down so as not to be in competition with The Colonial Theatre.
A 1985 attempt by the Portsmouth Civic Opera Company to revive it as a performance venue was valiant but unsuccessful. But a final attempt in 1987 by The Friends of The Music Hall was successful and led The Music Hall to its current run of 16 consecutive years as Portsmouth's premiere spot for live entertainment and film. Today, The Music Hall in Portsmouth is an educational and charitable organization presenting live and cinematic arts in a landmark 900-seat opera house. Over the last sixteen years, since it was saved from the wrecking ball, The Music Hall has earned its position as the foremost cultural center between Boston and Portland. The Music Hall is a stage for everyone in our community. Join us this year as we celebrate 125 years of standing ovations.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (603) 431-4103
Address:
 |
28 Chestnut StreetPortsmouth, NH 03801(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.themusichall.org
Directions:
|
Directions to The Music Hall
In Portsmouth, NH
From the North:
Take Interstate 95 South into NH. Take your first exit, number 7 and at the end of the ramp take a left onto the Market Street Extension. Follow it into. . . (more)
Nearest Bus Stop: Market Square, 1 minute walk |
Miscellaneous Information
| Name of Executive Director (or equivalent) if not listed above: |
|
Patricia Lynch
|
| Type of organization |
|
Nonprofit 501(c)3
|
| Is your organization a Health and Human Service agency? |
|
No
|
| Last updated on October 23, 2009 |
