Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts

The Teche Theatre opened on March 23, 1940 with Kay Kyser in “That’s Right, You’re Wrong” It was hailed as the most luxurious theater in South Louisiana at that time. The 800-seat Streamline Moderne style movie house was built for the Lauve-Bodin Amusement Company and designed by the firm of Favrot & Reed. The facade featured glass blocks with tiles in tan, red and black, as well as a neon-lit triangular marquee.

The Teche Theatre was remodeled in the late-1960’s when it came under new ownership. The theatre closed in the mid-1980’s. About a decade after the Teche Theatre closed, the city of Franklin acquired the theatre and leased it to the Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts, the theater’s official name now.

The Teche Theatre was wonderfully restored to its original appearance and reopened with a black-tie gala and a live sold-out performance. Sadly, in the fall of 2002, Hurricane Lily struck St. Mary Parish, including Franklin, and the Teche Theatre sustained heavy damage, and was closed again for restoration. It reopened in fall of 2003, with a second gala opening.

In September 2003, the Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts began its “Silver Screen Classics” series, with monthly showings of classic films on the large screen.

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

50sSNIPES on June 4, 2025 at 3:50 pm

The actual opening date is March 23, 1940 with Kay Kyser in “That’s Right, You’re Wrong” along with Disney’s Donald Duck in “The Riveter” and the Pete Smith Specialty “Stuffie”, featuring installations of RCA High Fidelity sound.

In the mid-1980s, it was renamed the “Teche Dollar Cinema”. It was still open in 1988, but may’ve closed later that year.