STRAND THEATER INITIATIVE

Description

The Strand Theater in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, is a former single screen movie house that had been closed and vacant for nearly twenty five years. Built in 1914, The Strand presented vaudeville shows and silent films with live piano accompaniment. It thrived for decades as a social center for the borough and surrounding communities. However, like many one-screen cinemas, it couldn’t compete with the multiplex, cable TV and VCR eras that emerged in the 1970’s. The Strand fell on hard times and closed sometime in the 1980’s.

The Strand Theater Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to the operation and ongoing revival of The Strand as a cultural, education and community outreach center. The Initiative formed in 2001 and spent eight years raising the necessary capital to fully renovate the cinema, which had suffered from decades of decay and neglect. Doing what work that was possible during those eight years, it was during the final two years that meticulous renovations were completed. The Strand completed the first of three phases of construction, and reopened with great fanfare on July 16 th, 2009. Since that time, the theater has returned to its original roots by presenting both professional, live events and cinematic programs.