The Cabot Theatre is a North Shore treasure which, when opened in 1920 as a dream palace for vaudeville and silent movies, was hailed as “the most impressive auditorium of its size east of New York.”
Today, The Cabot is a rare survivor. Where there had once been 20,000 of these grand movie palaces across the country, less than 250 remain.
Since reopening as a nonprofit in 2014, we’ve made significant upgrades throughout the theater to enhance the patron experience. These ... Read More
The Cabot Theatre is a North Shore treasure which, when opened in 1920 as a dream palace for vaudeville and silent movies, was hailed as “the most impressive auditorium of its size east of New York.”
Today, The Cabot is a rare survivor. Where there had once been 20,000 of these grand movie palaces across the country, less than 250 remain.
Since reopening as a nonprofit in 2014, we’ve made significant upgrades throughout the theater to enhance the patron experience. These improvements include replacing outdated seating, installing a new HVAC system, upgrading sound and lighting, and restoring our lobby to its original 1920s grandeur. We’ve also achieved ADA compliance with the addition of an elevator, accessible restrooms, and backstage access, ensuring The Cabot is welcoming to all. We are currently upgrading our sound and audio technology so that moviegoers of all abilities can fully enjoy the cinematic experience.
The Cabot’s focus has evolved as not just a place to present high-quality performing arts to becoming a broad-based community asset. We seek to balance The Cabot as a place for diverse entertainment, as well as a place to enrich oneself. Renting out our spaces to community groups, for private events, and to alternative presenters is an important way to expand and diversify our programming.
Education through arts centered programs is a priority. Our In Focus after school filmmaking program for middle school students offers 50% of its slots for free to families in need. Through our partnership with the Card to Culture program, the Department of Children and Families, the YMCA, and others, we are reaching kids who can benefit from learning new arts-based skills in a safe and welcoming environment.
Community Conversations is a talk series with screenings, speakers, and sometimes musical performances, covering a variety of timely, social topics. Started in May 2021,Community Conversations has covered topics such as homelessness among women’s veterans, isolation and mental health, and racism and workplace equity.
“We have been thrilled with the response to Community Conversations so far, as it has been an excellent opportunity to broaden the range of programming we offer here at The Cabot,” said J. Casey Soward, the first Executive Director of The Cabot. “While we love having a good time with all the amazing artists we bring to Beverly, we take our charge as a community-centered non-profit extremely seriously and are looking forward to creating more of these learning opportunities and take action on making our North Shore community the best it can be.”
The Cabot today is not just a high-quality performing arts venue but a vital economic engine for our region and a community resource for generations to come.
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