Sumter Opera House

Home
United States
Sumter, SC
Sumter Opera House

The mission of the Sumter Opera House is to enrich the cultural lives of our community, neighbors, and visitors by providing diverse creative experiences.

The Sumter Opera House is a beautiful historic site with a rich past. Completed in 1895, it has served as an opera house, a music academy, a movie theatre, city offices, a meat market, barber shop, and even a jail. Still home to City Hall, many city departments and City Council chambers, the Sumter Opera House is once again presenting a performance series in an effort to contribute to downtown rev

italization. The 550-seat theatre boasts excellent acoustics, a proscenium decorated with Art Deco gold-leaf, and provides the perfect intimate venue to see your favorite artists. Check out the event schedule and make plans now to attend a performance inside the Sumter Opera House!

09/01/2026

DID YOU KNOW? 😮 The writing on this sepia-toned photo says 'city hall'. Why is that?

Opera houses once served a very different purpose than they often do today. Historically speaking, opera houses were more than just venues. They often served as multi-purpose community centers and gathering hubs.

That translates in modern times with Sumter's city offices still operating out of the Opera House until its recent renovation. We're proud to host many community events in our building that reflect the heartbeat of our city!

08/31/2026

Announcing our fall Matinee Series! 📣 We're thrilled to bring Pete The Cat and Digger's Dino Adventure to Sumter this fall!

➡️ Title I teachers, applications are open now through 9/20 for our Y.E.S. Scholarship.

🐱 11/4: PETE THE CAT | When groovy Pete the Cat meets super-organized second grader Jimmy Biddle, the two unlikely friends set out on a mission to help Jimmy find inspiration for his art project. Along the way, they discover that creativity can come from the most unexpected places.

🦖 11/17 - 11/18: STORY SHIP'S DIGGERY'S DINO ADVENTURE | Join Paleontologist Diggery on an adventure when his top-secret DinoSauroScope 3000 brings dinosaurs back to life! With interactive puppets, music and plenty of audience participation, you’ll help solve puzzles and save the world from a dino invasion.

Learn more and apply at sumteroperahouse.com/matinee.

📍 LOCATION CHANGE: Please note that our Matinee Series will take place at Lakewood High School while construction continues.

🙏 This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. We'd also like to give a big shout-out to our sponsor, SAFE Federal Credit Union, for their support this season!

08/29/2026

🚧 One step at a time, our new stairwell is coming right along.

08/27/2026

We got a lot of love on our recent throwback and have us walking down memory lane again while we renovate!

These intimate performances actually took with YOU sitting on stage, an arm's length away from the artists themselves.

Meaningful connection through art is what we strive for with each show and this sense of community runs through the heart of everything we do. If you were at a Stage Door Series concert, let us know which one!

08/25/2026

Take a journey with us as our construction process continues. Pulling from historical analysis from the art deco period and famed artist, Navino Nataloni, we're leaning into our roots in our revitalization project.

📹 : The Sumter Museum x The Sumter Item

08/22/2026

🚧 Our ADA-compliant entrance to the our theater's downstairs is taking shap. The foundations of a walkway have been poured with plans for a connecting wheelchair-accessible ramp included before the skeleton of complimenting wall structures follow. It might be hard to imagine, but trust us when we say that this element of our construction is a big deal!

08/20/2026

Bluegrass lovers unite! 🪕📣 Who was here for Ricky Skaggs' epic performance in 2024?

Make some noise in the comments and let us know if you'd like to see more music like this once we re-open!

08/18/2026

Here's one for the architects and history buffs 👀 Our iconic art deco details are attributed to famed artist, Navino Nataloni.

Born in Italy, Navino Nataloni was an artist and interior designer from the art deco period. Eventually immigrating to the US after fighting for Italy in WWI, Nataloni went on to become one of the most recognizable names in world of interior design.

Specializing in theaters, you can see several of his other works as you swipe through. Do you notice any similarities to the Sumter Opera House?

If you've visited our Opera House, you know that our art deco proscenium is a hallmark of our venue.

These precious features are being treated with incredible care as we renovate, with Killis Almond Architects employing specialized renovation techniques to restore these art deco features to their full glory!

08/16/2026

The Sumter Opera House has worn a lot of hats over the years and it still functions as a multi-purpose space to this day. We're grateful it's survived all these years and we're grateful to continue this legacy.

📹 : The Sumter Museum x The Sumter Item

08/15/2026

You're looking at various angles of our new Annex, which will serve as a main corridor of connection between the theatre itself and our new lobby space, administrative offices, elevator, and more. With gorgeous angles, ADA-compliant ramps, a state-of-the-art elevator, and beautiful vantage points, you'll enjoy the Sumter Opera House like never before once you travel through our Annex upon our reopening!

Address

21 N Main Street
Sumter, SC
29150

Website

http://www.sumteroperahouse.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sumter Opera House posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Bar/pub in Sumter?