Wayne Theater
Website | 521 W Main St, Waynesboro, VA 22980 | +1 540-943-9999
Located in downtown Waynesboro, the historic Wayne Theater first opened as a vaudeville house in 1926 and was renovated and reopened in 206 to the public. The Wayne Theater is a center for entertainment, conferences, performing arts, and movies in Waynesboro, Virginia. This theater hosts 300+ events each year, including Broadway plays, live musical groups, classic films, arts education for children, and lectures on science and history.
Wayne Theater’s mission is to enhance and promote the cultural, artistic, economic, and educational life of Waynesboro and its surrounding area through the production of cultural events and local, regional, and state organizations’ partnerships.
Lola and Patterson opened its doors on January 18, 1926, to Waynesboro’s first vaudeville/silent movie theater. Its fashionable interior, mighty organ, and neo-classical facade were wonders of the day. Looking to take full advantage of the post-war boom, theater management expanded the original auditorium in 1949. In 1980, a fire began in the concession area and traveled up to the balcony. This allowed the owners to remodel the arena and divide the building into two theaters.
Two decades later, in 2000, the theater management withdrew from the Waynesboro entertainment market and turned the Wayne Theatre over to the city. The Waynesboro City Council created the Wayne Theater Alliance and motivated the group to oversee the revitalization of the well-known Wayne Theater.