The Broome County Forum Theatre, a historical building, is a 1,500-seat performing arts theatre. It is home to Broadway In Binghamton, the Tri-Cities Opera, and the Binghamton Philharmonic. The Forum hosts a wide variety of other events, including concerts, comedians, conventions, talent competitions, and recitals. The original building was built in 1919 as the Binghamton Theatre and hosted vaudev
ille acts and silent movies. Due to the introduction of movies with sound and the negative effects of the Depression, the Binghamton Theatre closed in 1931. In 1946, the facility was refurbished and reopened as a movie theatre; however, it closed again in 1951. Then, in 1960, the building was once more thoroughly renovated and opened as the Capri Theatre. The Capri closed in 1973. Shortly thereafter, a local nonprofit group, the Tri-Cities Opera Workshop, organized to develop the Capri into a performing arts theatre. Since it was well-recognized that the theatre would require an annual subsidy of tax dollars in order to survive, the group intended to renovate the facility and then turn it over to Broome County Government for operation. On September 16, 1975, the Broome County Legislature passed a resolution to accept the gift of the Capri, and to run it as a performing arts theatre. The final dedication ceremony took place on September 26, 1975, and the venue was named the Forum Theatre. The County built a dressing room building addition as part of a major renovation in 1975. The lobby and Recital Hall were added in 1981. Most recently, in 2011, a complete seat replacement was performed as part of a major renovation of the front-of-house areas. Today, the Forum Theatre continues to thrive as a center of arts and entertainment for the Greater Binghamton area.
