Who doesn’t love the Stiefel Theatre?
The theatre opened in 1931 at a cost of $400,000, which equivocates at nearly $8 million in today’s currency, and is on the Register of Historic Places. The Fox-Watson Theatre, as it was called, served as a movie house until 1987. After being idle for two years, the owners offered the building to the City of Salina. Eventually. The Historic Fox Theater of Salina Foundation, a nonprofit group, was founded for the renovation of the facility. The theatre was renamed The Stiefel Theatre after Milton Stiefel made a major contribution to the renovation.
Today the Stiefel Theatre is a major player in promoting the arts and live performances and is currently home to the Mike Finnigan School of Music and the Salina Symphony. Among the many top performances offered at the Stiefel, the 2023 line up includes Josh Turner, Melissa Etheridge, Pam Tillis, Three Dog Night and Chicago!
On Thursday, April 15 the Academy of Country Music announced the names of five venues across the nation in the running for Theatre of the Year! The list includes the Crystal Grand Music Theatre in Wisconsin Dells, WI; the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, FL; the Grandy Ole Opry House in Nashville; the Orpheum Theater in Omaha and the Stiefel Theatre in Salina.
Jane Gates, Stiefel executive director gives credit to the artists and crews, the staff, crew, board and volunteers at the Stiefel.
“We absolutely love this historic theatre”, Gates said. “To the stars!”
The 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, is scheduled to stream live exclusively for a global audience across more than 240 territories on Prime Video at 7 pm on May 11 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX. The full rebroadcast of “Country Music’s Party of the Year” will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.
