Community Connection

Orpheum Memphis

Entertaining the Memphis community for nearly a century.

You are most likely to visit the beautiful, 97-year-old Orpheum Theatre to see a touring Broadway show. Highlights of the 2025-26 season include “& Juliet,” “The Outsiders,” “Back to the Future,” and “SIX.” The 2,270-seat auditorium is also a fantastic concert venue, recently welcoming the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Lake Street Dive, and Peter Frampton. Ballet Memphis’ version of “The Nutcracker” has been a popular Memphis holiday tradition for nearly 40 years. 

This ornate Art Deco theatre on the corner of Main and Beale was built in 1928 to feature vaudeville variety acts. The facility was recast as a movie palace from 1940 until 1976, when a nonprofit group bought it and began to book traveling Broadway productions. 

But “Mary” is the Orpheum’s longest-running performance. Mary is a ghost, the purported spirit of a 12-year-old girl who died in the 1920s, when the Orpheum’s site was occupied by the old Grand Opera House. In 1977, the cast of “Fiddler on the Roof” organized a séance after hearing about her. In 1982, Yul Brynner was startled by the sight of her during a performance of “The King & I.” That night, Mary was sitting in a seat on the mezzanine, her favorite perch, specifically seat C5, which is never sold. 

“We invite all of the Mid-South into our venues year-round to experience the transformative power of the performing arts.”

Brett Batterson

Orpheum president and CEO

Next door, the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education is home to many entertainment offerings featuring Memphis artists and immersive educational experiences. Programs include Mending Hearts Camp, for kids who have experienced the death of a parent; Camp Say, for kids and teens who stutter; and a variety of performing arts camps for various age groups. 

seats at the orpheum

While the Orpheum’s calendar is full of Broadway road shows and concerts, the theater occasionally hosts popular movie nights, showing a variety of classic and contemporary movies on its immense screen. Last summer featured family sing-along movie screenings of “Sing 2,” “Grease,” and “The Sound of Music.” 

“Between the historic Orpheum Theatre and the modern Halloran Centre, this is the place to make memories in downtown Memphis,” said Brett Batterson, Orpheum president and CEO. “From concerts to touring Broadway to summer camps for young people, we invite all of the Mid-South into our venues year-round to experience the transformative power of the performing arts.” 

Read about upcoming performances and events at Orpheum-Memphis.com. 

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