The Dixon Historic Theatre is grateful for the many people who have supported us through the years, and we are continuing to make improvements to the theater to make our patrons’ experiences better than ever!

Beginning in 1922, the Dixon Historic Theatre has been a place of entertainment for the Sauk Valley area and surrounding communities. We strive to continue growing, evolving, and adapting to the changing times, while also trying to keep the charm and splendor of the original Theatre.

With the help of a generous grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, we were able to make some major improvements to the interior and exterior of our theater. This included remodeling and upgrading our restrooms, repairing of cornice molding, tuckpointing, and a complete repainting of the interior of the theater, restoring it to the original colors and design. We were also able to have major repairs done to our roof and exterior south wall.

All of these changes have truly brought the theater back to life!

Our next steps to improve the audience’s experience are to finish repairs to the terrazzo floors, which would then be followed by installing new seats on the main floor that will look similar to the original seats in the balcony, but with some modern upgrades. We would like to repair and reupholster the original balcony seats, bringing them back to their full glory.

To better announce upcoming shows, we also plan to upgrade our signage on the outside of the building to a digital display, along with some other upgrades and repairs to our marquee.

To accomplish these continued improvements, we would appreciate the support of our community, so we are pleased to announce The Dixon Encore Capital Campaign, with three goals in mind:

1. Repair and restore the terrazzo floors.

2. Repair and replace theater seating.

3. Add improvements to the exterior, including masonry work, repairing and modernizing our marquee, and digital signage.

We’re looking for patrons, community members, businesses, and corporations who would be willing to support the Dixon Encore by restoring the past and seating the future.

Donate Link: https://givebutter.com/Thedixon-encore

Spencer Aurand is the executive director of The Dixon Historic Theatre.