Rent the CAC

The Martin Theatre is the heart of the Community Arts Center just as it was in the Capitol Theatre. This 2,100-seat beautifully restored movie palace is a pastiche of Spanish, English and Oriental décor like many of the grand movie halls built during the advent of motion pictures. English heraldic symbols mix with Moorish columns and Asian touches throughout, and only the outer lobby is not an historic restoration. The stage was enlarged and new chorus dressing rooms added for live performance but the Martin Theatre’s true brilliance lies in the accuracy of its historic refurbishment. For instance, the original seat stanchions in the orchestra were ruined during the flood of 1936 and replaced. Only when the balcony stanchions were cleaned up were the original colors revealed and recreated for the orchestra seat stanchions.

The Pennsylvania College of Technology was one of the driving forces behind the renovation and owns the Community Arts Center. Dr. Martin was a Senior Vice President at the College and took the lead role in the historic renovations. In recognition of his tireless energy, inspired leadership and dogged determination, the audience chamber was named in his honor.

Since its opening in 1993, the sound and lighting systems have been regularly updated to keep up with current performance needs. The stage floor was replaced in 2020. As you can tell from the technical specifications, it offers much of what a local or national promoter would want for an event. (Sound is the common exception.) Many of the most beloved performances of the last three decades were promoter or co-promoter events and we hope to encourage such collaborations. At the CAC, we don’t care who gets the credit as long as our Williamsport and Susquehanna Valley communities get a good show.