 
340
Granby Street
Norfolk Virginia 23510
757 - 822 - 1450
757 - 822 - 1451 (fax)
• See Images of the Theatre General Information
The TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center occupies
the former Loew's State Theater building in the revitalized downtown
Norfolk, Virginia. Built in elegant style in 1926, Tidewater Community
College lovingly restored this former movie palace and Vaudeville
house to its original opulence.
Featuring sumptuous surroundings
with gilded box seats, glass chandeliers and ornate, hand painted
architectural details, the Roper has been lauded by theater critics
as "A cathedral to the past". The Roper now hosts the
range of the performing arts as well as feature films and college
convocations, commencements and symposia. Comfortably seating up
to 900 patrons, this vibrant centerpiece of the downtown entertainment
district has been fitted out with state-of-the-art technology, enabling
the production of the most complex and demanding staged presentations.
History
On May 10, 1926 in Norfolk, Virginia, the newest of Marcus Loew's
stylish movie palaces opened its doors. Hailed as "Dixie's
Million Dollar Dandy," the Loew's State Theater featured luxurious
surroundings - gilded box seats, glass chandeliers and a state-of-the-art
air conditioning system in which electric fans blew the humid sea
air over huge blocks of ice. For thirty-five cents, one could catch
the latest feature film, see six acts of Vaudeville, and be serenaded
by both the Mighty Wurlitzer and the theater's own full-time orchestra.
Over the years the charms of live entertainment couldn't keep Hollywood
from upstaging Vaudeville, and eventually the spotlights were replaced
by the Technicolor glow of the wide screen. As the decades rolled
by, the elegant Loew's entertained generations of movie-goers, but
slowly followed much of downtown Norfolk into disrepair. The silver
screen flickered one last time in the late 1970's, and then went
dark for over twenty years. Now downtown Norfolk has undergone an
astounding renaissance of which this elegant old theater is a vibrant
centerpiece. Owned by Tidewater Community College, the lovingly
restored Loew's was reborn in 2000 as The Jeanne and George Roper
Performing Arts Center. Fitted out as a state-of-the-art performance
venue and luxurious once again, the Roper offers world-class performing
arts of every variety. These walls again resonate with the sound
of applause, just as they did so long ago when happy patrons paid
their two bits, howled at the Vaudeville comedians, and marveled
at movies that talked.
Local Presenters
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