Community Theatre
373 Main Street,
Catskill,
NY
12414
373 Main Street,
Catskill,
NY
12414
2 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Community Theatre - Catskill (Official), Heart of Catskill Association -- Community Theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Brandt Theaters, Fabian Theaters
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
518.943.2410
Nearby Theaters
Built on the site of the Nelida Theatre which was destroyed by fire on January 1, 1918. The Community Theatre was opened in 1920 as a vaudeville theatre. Later movies were introduced and by 1941 it was operating as a movie theatre.
In 1976, the auditorium was twinned by dividing off the balcony. It plays first run movies, and is equipped with digital projection and is 3D capable. It has been closed since March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
This is from Boxoffice magazine, January 1960:
Continuing his theater expansion, Paul Marcelli, who served as a projectionist at the Leeds Drive-In in 1958, took over the Communnity in Catskill. He previously acquired the Leeds, then the Vanderbilt in Greenville, the latter from Mrs. Harry Lemont. Marcelli reportedly did good opening business at the Community with “A Summer Place”. That 1200-seater was under the management of Brandt Theaters for about nine years.
Btw, Lost Memory, the link for the above-mentioned theatre doesn’t seem to work.
The new link from 7/16 works fine. As he pointed out, the link in the related sites is defunct.
Hello all! If you would like to know anything more about our theatre, please feel free to contact us using any of the following methods:
Voicemail for showtimes: (518) 943-2410
E-mail address:
Website: http://www.thecommunitytheatre.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thecommunitytheatre
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/catskilltheatre
Our theatre is alive and well, and has seen many recent improvements since changing hands in 2005, including:
– The installation of new digital equipment & surround sound
– Installation of a credit & debit card system
– Brand new carpeting throughout the entire theatre
– A brand new letterboard and new neon for our marquee (following two accidents that left us with a damaged marquee and destroyed letterboard)
– Roof & ceiling work
– New paint in various areas, and more!
Above comment says Community was built after the theater down the street burnt down. However, the Community is the only theater listed in Catskill on Cinema Treasures. More info so some research can be done. Or somebody create the site.
Ironically, The person walking toward the theater in the picture is Dominic Cornelius, whose father of the same name worked at and ultimately managed the Community from 1935-1960
In 1976 there was also a fire which destroyed the lobby. Unclear whether the twinning also occurred at the same time.
Photos of the downstairs auditorium and the staircase to the balcony level uploaded.
My research indicates the Community was built on the site of the former Nelida Theater which was destroyed by fire, along with a half dozen other buildings, on January 1, 1918. Only a portion of the value of the Nelida was covered by insurance so subscriptions were sought to aid in the rebuilding. Probably inspiration for the name Community.
The October 2, 1948 issue of Boxoffice noted that the Community Theatre in Catskill was then being operated by the Fabian circuit.
The theater has been closed since March 2020 they have not reopened. Only a few movie screenings from another organization upstate films showed a few movies during Halloween time. There’s now works in the process to get a grant to reopen the theater