MILLERSBURG - A ceremony next week will mark the start of a new Colonnade Theater in this Dauphin County borough.
The theater at 257 Center St., which opened in 1919 and closed in 2000, was donated to the Twin Valley Players TVP in 2008 by Marvin and Doris Troutman, owners of the Cinema Center theater chain.
TVP plans to conduct a ground breaking for the "new Colonnade Theatre" at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 16. The new Colonnade will host a mix of recent release films and classic, live performances and educational programs, TVP reports.
Grants, including $750,000 from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital fund, plus $950,000 in loans through Integrity Bank, is allowing the existing building to be demolished and the new state-of-the-art structure built, according to TVP.
The group formed in 1970 to promote the dramatic arts. TVP offers an annual summer musical, an annual children's theater camp and a year-round performing "Roadshow" and is a partner of the Ned Smith Center Arts and Entertainment Series. The group also funds annual scholarships and contributes financially to local and national charitable organizations.