Cabot Street Cinema Theatre

The Cabot Performing Arts Center is located at 286 Cabot Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.

The Cabot Cinema, October 2014

History

For more than ninety years the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre has been an important part of the Boston's North Shore community. Harris and Glover Ware, two brothers and former vaudeville musicians from Marblehead, Massachusetts, built the Cabot eight years after the construction of their first Beverly theater, the Larcom Theatre. The Cabot was originally known as the Ware Theatre,^[1][2] when it opened in 1920 and was described as having “the most impressive auditorium of its size east of New York.” Erected with ballyhoo and great expense in 1920, it was immediately Beverly’s grandest playhouse. Large enough to accommodate any kind of entertainment, from silent pictures to opera, the Cabot was also grand enough—with its frescoes, filigrees, golden dome, and full balcony—to rival big-city show palaces. When it opened, announcements for the gala premier of the theatre boasted of a "$50,000 Austin Pipe Organ", which would be $785,000 in 2024 dollars.^[2]

The Cabot's architects were Funk and Wilcox, who had already made a name for themselves with the Athenaeum and the Strand Theatre (Dorchester, Massachusetts). Back then, movie palaces included fully equipped stages because film showings were often preceded by live acts—vaudeville. They were also built with orchestra pits for musicians who accompanied the silent films and the stage production.

Out of the 20,000 movie palaces entertaining America in 1920, the National Trust for Historic Preservation estimates that less than 250 remain. Up until January 2014, the Cabot maintained a grand tradition of elegant movie-going and live stage entertainment thanks to the Cabot's founding director Marco the Magi (Cesareo Pelaez, 1932 - 2012). He stated, “The total effect of a motion picture is conditioned by the environment in which it is shown.” Marco selected the Cabot’s “films worth seeing more than once;” he directed its attentive tuxedoed ushering staff, and designed its interior decor, including the fresh cut flower bouquets. Raised in the grand tradition from which the Cabot was born, he allowed movie-going to be an occasion where a community gathers to be entertained in an elegant environment.

Loew's 1960 - 1977

Purchased in 1960 by E. M. Loew's theater chain,^[3] it was renamed the Cabot Cinema.^[4][5]

Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company 1977 - 2012

In 1976, it was purchased by Le Grand David. Live performances by Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company were shown from February 1977 through May 2012, ending shortly after the death of the troupe's founder and acting magician Cesareo Pelaez in March 2012.^[6] The theater also showed feature films "worth seeing more than once" and showed movies until it closed in the winter of 2012/13.^[1]

On May 15, 2013, the owners/Le Grand David company announced that the Cabot was for sale.

Cabot Performing Arts Center 2014 - present (2025)

Local entrepreneur and philanthropist Henry Bertolon purchased the theater in October 2014.^[7][8] It reopened shortly after in November 2014 as the Cabot Performing Arts Center, "The Cabot" for short, offering a mixture of film, live music, and performances.^[9][10]

In 2015, Casey Soward was named Executive Director of theater^[11] and The Cabot was purchased by the Cabot Performing Arts Center Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group^[12] established by locals Thad Siemasko, Henry Bertolon, Bill Howard, Rich Marino, and Paul Van Ness.^[7]

Restoration and renovations

The Cabot has undergone a series of substantial restoration and renovation projects since 2015.

The first renovations were completed in January 2016.^[13] New installations included sound and digital projection systems and seats and a viewing platform on the Orchestra level. The fire escapes were brought up to code, and the building's historic marquee was restored.

The construction of Streetside at The Cabot, a new bar and music venue near the main entrance,^[14] was completed December 2017.^[13]

The outdated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was replaced in January 2018.^[13] Part of the replacement included reinforcing the existing 1920 timber roof trusses with tensioned steel cables. The fire alarm and sprinkler systems were updated. This project was funded by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund and $1.425 million in donations from individual donors.^[15]

A theater upgrade project was completed in January 2019,^[13] which included the replacement of all balcony seats, reconstruction of Opera Boxes, sound system update, and installation of a new stage lighting system.^[7]

A lobby restoration and renovation project was completed in May 2021.^[13] The building's original rose window and vaulted ceilings, which had been covered previously, were expored and restored.^[16] A neo-classical chandelier at the entrance was also restored. The lobby was expanded and a new box office and concession stand were added.

Renovations to improve the accessibility of the stage and balcony lobby were completed in Summer 2023,^[13] bringing the venue to ADA compliance. Changes included the installation of an elevator, additional second floor bathrooms, and modifications to doorways, hallways, stage and upper floor areas.

The Cabot closed in June 2025 to begin a renovation project that is expected to be completed by early September 2025. The project plan is to restore the building's original 1920s exterior, renovate the theater's dressing rooms and artist facilities, including the installation of a green room, remove the 1960s-era marquee and Cabot Cinema sign over the entrance to reveal an arched window in the lobby, install electronic message boards on the side of the building and a new sign that reads “The Cabot.”

The Cabot's Big Night

In 2022, The Cabot began holding an annual spring fundraiser for the theater's many renovation projects. The fundraising concert event was dubbed The Cabot's Big Night and the first one took place on April 14, 2022.^[17][18]