Lyric Theatre
218 Seneca Street,
Oil City,
PA
16301
218 Seneca Street,
Oil City,
PA
16301
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Lyric Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Functions: Performing Arts
Previous Names: Orpheum Theatre, Princess Theatre, Cameo Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Lyric Theatre is located along Seneca Street in Oil City, PA in between the Transit Building Annex and the IOOF building. It opened by 1921. For about 40 years its lobby served as the sales floor for Ray L. Way, a local haberdashery which closed in the early-2000’s.
The Oil City Community Playhouse has been renovating it for the past several years with plans to use the space for live performances. Local folklore has it that Charlie Chaplin did some of his first American performances there.
Contributed by
Von Winger
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
This is the caption to a photo in the Oil City Derrick on 10/10/74:
Ray L. Way and son, Richard L. Way, peer at a remnant of the old Lyric Theater which once occupied the site where a clothing store is now located. The elaborate design which Ray is touching borders the old stage which now serves as a storage and tailoring area in back of the sales section. The store moved into the former Lyric Theater building in 1955. Prior to the Lyric, this site was occupied by the Cameo Theater, before that the Princess Theater and before that the Orpheum Theater. Actually, the Lyric started housing audiences in 1917 at 106-108 Seneca St., moving to 216 Seneca St. in 1927.
Late 1940’s 12 Cents Admission, Oater’s and Serial’s all day all evening, and you could stay and watch them over and over !
Per kencmcintyre’s comment above, this page is missing the aka’s Princess Theatre and Cameo Theatre. We don’t yet have a page for the first Lyric Theatre, at 106-108 Seneca Street. (I’ve found out that the first Lyric was in operation prior to March, 1916, when it was reported to have reopened following a major renovation.) According to the current Lyric web site, this house opened as the Orpheum in 1906.
Harris Amusements owned the theater in 1935.
This theater is currently operating as a performing arts theater.