CambridgePerformingArtsCentre.com
Title
Cambridge Performing Arts Centre
Description
The theatre then......
The first theater on the site of the Strand Theatre was the Avenue, which opened on January 23, 1907. Later that year the Avenue Theatre became the Orpheum Theatre, managed by Charles and George Hammond. Opening night was October 22, 1907.
The Orpheum was not a plush theatre and it only seated about 100 people, but its Vaudeville shows were the rage of the day. Prices were 5 to 10 cents - 5 cents for a seat in the back and 10 cents for a bench in the front. For variety, the management changed shows three times a week so there were always new acts appearing on the Orpheum's stage. It was open every evening at 7:15 and 8:15.
The Orpheum closed on April 15, 1915. A new theatre, the Strand, was then built on the same site at a cost of $50,000. This sum included $10,000 for a fine pipe organ. The Strand opened on the day before Thanksgiving, 1915 with a movie entitled Graustark, starring Beverly Bane, Francis X. Bushman, and Edna Mayo.
