Backstage Tour of Fulton’s Breakout Performance!

For 167 years, the Fulton Theatre has been a staple in our city, cultivating a community of arts and culture that is loved by both locals and visitors from around the country. With its ever-growing crowds and sold-out show after sold-out show, the Fulton Theatre is ready to take its reach to the next level.

We’re thrilled to announce the Fulton Breakout Performance Campaign, an expanding of the Fulton campus, including renovation and restoration, community spaces, and new audience services. Our team was able to spend an afternoon walking through the construction, learning more about just what incredible features will come with this new project. Take a stroll through this exclusive backstage tour and see what’s coming to Lancaster’s oldest Downtown theatre.

Work first began earlier this year to create a more functional rehearsal space and backstage area and to install mechanical systems necessary for modern Broadway-quality productions. One critical backstage addition will be completed just in time to help house parts of the set for Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express—hint, this set piece is a crucial and large part of the show! What used to be a tiny, cramped stage-right space, directly off of the existing Fulton stage, is now being opened up into a more functional space for the Fulton stage! 

As you continue further into the room, separated by a soundproof trifold door, you’ll find a new expansion—Fulton’s Black Box Performance space. This multi-purpose space will be used for community gatherings, Fulton Academy rehearsals and performances, and various other needs. One of the most exciting aspects of this project is that the newly extended stage right and the Black Box Performance space can be joined or separated as needed, providing optimal space for everything from storage to events.

A large portion of the current renovations on King Street is focused on providing a customized housing experience for the guest artists gracing the stage.

Each apartment will be built with the tenants in mind, including quarter-inch thick soundproofing so anyone can rehearse their lines, songs, and dances without disturbing their neighbors.

The new housing includes 16 units that range from luxurious star apartments to shotgun studios, including two ADA compliant apartments for those with mobility issues. All of the rooms include every amenity the artists need in order to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Each detail was carefully thought through for the creatives that bring the Fulton’s vision to life!

The Fulton is a proud staple in the community and looks forward to the construction process not only benefiting the theatre but the city as a whole. As part of The Breakout Performance Campaign expansion, the Fulton Theatre is installing a blue roof, the first not only in Pennsylvania, but also in the tristate area. A blue roof is a structure that significantly reduces water runoff by slowly releasing retained rainfall, in contrast with gray roofs which release stormwater back into the sewage system rapidly, therefore overwhelming the local infrastructure. With the blue roof initiative, the Fulton hopes to do its part in the city-wide effort to improve water conservation.

Construction on this historic block led to many surprising discoveries once ground broke earlier this year. From a deep 18 feet deep well to an underground coal bin underneath the corner of King St. and Prince, there’s no denying this project is nothing short of exciting! One of our favorite discoveries we learned from the tour was the oldest recorded use of the newly acquired building was in 1924 as a restaurant called Jane Louise Grill. Just as the Fulton restored this building years ago, they will continue restoring the facades by stripping paint, repointing the brickwork and rebuilding the original façade detail.

Take a little peek at what the final result will be!

Throughout construction, we will be revealing more details about Fulton Breakout—so keep on the lookout for more! Learn how you can support this exciting project at FultonBreakout.org! The Fulton is growing, and we need YOUR help to illuminate its future!

Want to meet the pioneers who got this project off the ground? Read about them here and find out how you can get involved!