About me: The Booth Theatre in Independence, Kansas opened 1927 as the only theatre in Independence to be designed specifically to show motion pictures. It was owned by Thomas Booth and designed by the Boller Brothers architecture firm. With seating of 1,100, the Booth opened to a standing room only crowd.
It offered a variety of arts, news, and entertainment as well as its main movie feature. The interior was worth the price of a ticket; and as Mr. Rothafel of Roxy theatre fame once stated, "We sell tickets to the theatre, not the movies".
The Booth Theatre was in operation until April 20, 1980. A church congregation purchased the theatre and used it for services until 1987. The Booth Theatre Foundation was established in 1991 for the purpose of preserving, restoring and operating the theatre as a performing arts and motion picture playhouse.
As a contributing community member, the theatre will be host to community theatre, recitals, seminars and classic film series. The Booth Theatre was listed on the national register of Historic Places on October 13, 1988.
Reconstruction began in 2007 and is currently underway on the renovation of the first front quarter section of the theatre.
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Who I'd like to meet: If you are interested in booking the Booth Theatre for small gatherings and events please email us at:
booththeater@yahoo.com
Keep in mind the theatre itself is not finished yet. Only the front concession stand area and upstairs lobby are currently available. This space would be ideal for small receptions, meetings, or even poetry readings.
I was there last Saturday during Neewollah and got to look through your beautiful theatre. I got some great pictures! Thanks again for letting us see this treasure and good luck on the restoration.
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