NEWS

Motion Pictures Return to Vevay’s Historic Hoosier Theater

With a grant from Switzerland County Tourism, the Hoosier Theater is back in the movie business.

Hoosier Theater, Vevay

The Show Goes On

Originally built in 1837 by “hay king” Ulysses P. Schenck, Vevay’s Hoosier Theater began life as a warehouse, and the Ferry Street building has proven remarkably adaptable since then. The structure served a host of other purposes for nearly a century – including the city’s first post office – before becoming a movie theater in the 1920s.

After the theater closed in 1955, the building sat vacant for decades, until Historic Vevay, Inc. formed in the 1980s to save the landmark and return it to service. The group opened the Hoosier Theater in 1987 as a community performing arts center, hosting stage plays, musical acts, and dance performances.

With a $31,000 grant from Switzerland County Tourism for the purchase of digital film projection equipment and a 20-foot screen, the Hoosier Theater recently returned movies to its entertainment lineup.

On April 8, the theater debuted a new film series at a sold-out red-carpet screening of A Girl Name Sooner, a 1975 TV movie shot in Switzerland County starring Cloris Leachman, Richard Crenna, and Lee Remick.

Monthly movie showings continue in May with Secretariat—just in time for Kentucky Derby season. Look for announcements soon about films on the summer schedule, including free matinees. Support from sponsors will help cover film royalties for each showing.

For show times and more events, check the theater’s Facebook page.

 

Sign up for our e-newsletter.

Stay up to date on the latest news, stories, and events from Indiana Landmarks, around the state or in your area.