Chatham Orpheum Theater
The original Chatham Orpheum Theater opened on Main Street in 1916 as the town’s first movie house. With approximately 400 seats, it became an important gathering place where generations of residents and summer visitors experienced silent films, newsreels and, eventually, modern motion pictures.
The building was purchased by Interstate Theaters Corporation in 1938 and became known as the Chatham Theater. It continued showing movies until 1987, when competition from larger multiplex cinemas led to its closure. The building was subsequently converted into retail space and housed a CVS pharmacy for many years.
After CVS moved out in 2011, residents recognized an opportunity to return the property to its original purpose. Volunteers formed the nonprofit Chatham Orpheum Theater, Inc., raised the necessary funds and transformed the former retail space into a modern two-screen cinema. The restored theater opened on July 26, 2013—nearly a century after movies were first shown at the site.
Today, the Chatham Orpheum presents new releases, independent films, documentaries and special community programs. Its restoration preserved more than a historic name; it returned a longtime cultural gathering place to the center of downtown Chatham.
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