Lyric Theatre

901 E. Broad Street,
Richmond, VA 23219

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Additional Info

Previous Names: WRVA Theatre

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Lyric Theatre

Opened in 1913 as Richmond’s home of Keith vaudeville, the 1,800-seat Lyric Theatre operated as a combination house (vaudeville and movies) during the 1920’s, but remained a silent house.

In the 1930’s it became the home of the Richmond Theatre Guild, presenting live theatre, which policy continued into the 1940’s. In 1948 the Lyric Theatre was taken over by a radio station and became the WRVA Theatre, known for its live broadcast, “The Old Dominion Barn Dance". By this time the seating capacity had been reduced to 1,300.

In 1957 the Barn Dance was moved to another venue, and the Lyric Theatre returned to hosting occasional live theatrical events presented by local performance groups. The Lyric Theatre was closed and demolished in 1963.

Contributed by Joe Vogel

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on November 10, 2021 at 6:36 am

The WRVA Theatre Was Named After The Radio Station Giant Here In Richmond, Via 1140 AM (Now Known As NewsRadio 1140 AM And 96.1 FM, A Class-A News/Talk Station).

rivest266
rivest266 on September 27, 2022 at 10:57 am

Opened on august 26th, 1913. Grand opening ad posted.

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