Take a Tour of One of Connecticut's Gems as Palace Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The foyer

The Palace Theater in Waterbury is expanding its monthly tour schedule this November to offer patrons an enhanced experience that includes admission to the theater’s debut history exhibit at the Mattatuck Museum, which opens on Nov. 22.

A combined tour package on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 11 am includes a guided tour of the theater followed by a walk to the Mattatuck Museum, where guests will enjoy lunch at Café at the Matt before viewing the Palace’s new history exhibit.

Ticket booth

Titled “A Staged Reflection: 1922-2014,” the Palace’s  history exhibit celebrates the theater’s 10-year anniversary since reopening in 2004, and will include a timeline of historic milestones dating back to the venue’s original opening in 1922. The exhibition will also feature never-before-seen photographs, ephemera, and Palace artifacts, as well as oral history interviews with community members, who have experienced the theater’s evolution throughout its 92-year history.

Organ

Due to the tours' increasing popularity, reservations are required in advance. Single tickets for individuals or groups of 10 or less can be purchased online at www.palacetheaterct.org.  Larger groups are asked to contact the Box Office at 203-346-2000 to book their reservations. The cost for the combined tour package, including lunch, is $25 per person.

Tour Guide Michael

For more information visit, palacetheaterct.org/about-us/theater-tours, or mattatuckmuseum.org.

Note: I took a tour of the Palace, which is my personal favorite theater in the state. It's drop-dead gorgeous. My tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable and the 'behind-the-scenes" information was fascinating. The photos here are the ones I took on tour. Don't miss an opportunity to see this beautiful Connecticut treasure (and now I want to get over and see the museum exhibit too!). 

-- Lauren Yarger

The celebration of the theater's 10-year anniversary kicks-off tomorrow on the theater’s actual anniversary, Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 9:30 am with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and official proclamation by Mayor Neil O’Leary and Waterbury Regional Chamber President Lynn Ward at the Palace. It continues with a pre-show party and concert starring the legendary Steve Miller Band on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 pm.

The band returns to Waterbury 41-years after its original performance Nov.9, 1973, to pay homage to the theater’s significant rock and roll history. The concert’s 6 pm pre-show anniversary party is an additional $75 per guest and includes heavy hors d' oeuvres, specialty drinks, and an exclusive Steve Miller Band commemorative gift. Tickets can be purchased online at www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000, on in persona at the Box Office.

During that same weekend on Nov. 16, the Republican-American will feature a special Palace-themed supplement in their Sunday edition. The exclusive publication will highlight some of the remarkable successes the Palace has accomplished over the past ten years, in addition to featuring interviews with community supporters, fun theater facts and incredible photos of the venue and its blockbuster performances from the past decade.

The celebration continues, on Saturday, Nov. 22, with the grand opening of the Mattatuck Museum’s Palace Theater history exhibit that will feature a free cheese-and-cocktail reception from 5 to 6:30 pm. The exhibit will be on display in the Ion Bank Community Gallery until Feb. 2, 2015.