The Hershey Theatre Spotlight Tour is a 90-minute walking tour of the historic Hershey Theatre. Participants learn about the history of the theatre’s construction and use and the symbolism of its decorative art and get a literal behind-the-scenes look at the parts of the theatre most members of the public never see.
I’ve lived just outside Hershey, Pennsylvania for five years. I like to call it “the last economically viable small town in America.” Much of that is due to the fact that Hershey is the worldwide headquarters of The Hershey Company, a family of worldwide brands that needs no introduction, especially if you like chocolate.
It’s also due to the fact that Hershey Chocolate Company founder Milton S. Hershey invested deeply not only in his candy company but also in his workers and in the model community he built. Because of that, Hershey has the kind of amenities not normally found in a small town–like the Hershey Theatre.
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The Hershey Theatre’s Origin Story
While the historian in me is a little skeptical of local hagiographies of the man still affectionately known around town as “Mr. Hershey,” there’s little question that Mr. Hershey did more good than most people. He certainly wasn’t greedy, investing most of his considerable fortune back into the town and into philanthropic projects that still benefit the community, the state, and the nation.
The local story goes that when the Great Depression hit in 1929, Mr. Hershey looked at the news and the breadlines and said, “Not in my town.” At that point, he’d been running what was by then called the Hershey Chocolate Corporation since 1894. A big part of his success was that he managed to figure out a way to make chocolate affordable and accessible to the masses, and then he sold them tons of it.
They were still buying during the Great Depression. Affordable luxuries tend to do well in economic downturns.
So began Mr. Hershey’s “Great Building Campaign,” both an altruistic effort to provide much-needed Depression Era jobs and a shrewd business move that allowed Hershey (the town and the man) to take advantage of depressed prices of building materials.
The Hershey Theatre was one of the impressive results.
The Hershey Theatre Spotlight Tour
I learned about the Hershey Theatre Spotlight Tour in the playbill for Anastasia, which my second-grader and I attended at the end of July. Because we both love attending shows at the Hershey Theatre, we decided to add the tour to our list of summer activities.
Tours are offered mainly on Fridays at 11:00 a.m., so we knew it would be hard to attend during the school year. I purchased tickets in advance on the website, as required ($15 for adults and $10 for juniors ages 4-12 and worth every penny).
On the last day of summer vacation, we showed up at the main entrance at 15 Caracas Avenue along with about 30 other people.
My daughter looked around with satisfaction and whispered to me, “I’m the only kid on this tour. That’s awesome. When you’re the only kid, they let you do all the cool stuff.” She speaks from experience.
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The Hershey Theatre: Where We Went and What We Saw
For the first ten minutes, we hung out in the main lobby to hear some general history of the theatre and the town. We stood, but there is some seating available for this part. Then the two tour guides split us up and each took a group off in different directions.
The Main Floor, Act I
Our group started on the main floor by the “secret” back entrance that faces Chocolate Avenue. Apparently, so many people know about this entrance that it gets more traffic than the main entrance at show times. We continued our tour through the small but beautiful Swan Room, easy to miss as you pass through on a crowded show night. Then it was back to the main lobby to pay specific attention to the construction and decoration.
Memorable fact: All that Italian marble is real. None of it is a facade. No one was buying Italian marble in the 1930s, so Mr. Hershey got a great deal.
I think it was at this point that my daughter whispered, “I love this, Mama.”
Loge Level
About 40 minutes into the tour, we headed up the first flight of stairs to the upstairs foyer where the bathrooms and the upstairs concession booth are located. These stairs are wide, carpeted, and easily climbed for those without mobility limitations.
However, please be aware that, like many historic buildings, the Hershey Theatre has many areas that are inaccessible for people with wheelchairs or other mobility issues, including the second floor leading to the loge and balcony seats. There are no elevators.
On this level, we got to see the bathrooms, which are very fancy and full of interesting historical features including fireplaces, water fountains, and cleverly concealed phone booths which now function as closets. So now my daughter and I can say we’ve been in the men’s bathroom at the Hershey Theatre.
The Balcony and the Lighting Booth
After that, the tour took us into the main auditorium. We took a seat in the lower balcony area for a chat about the decoration and iconography of the auditorium. This is where I usually sit because the tickets are quite a bit cheaper than the main floor and the loge, but the seats are still quite good, especially in the front row.
I had never realized this, but the whole place is designed to make you feel like you’re in Venice. St. Mark is the patron saint of Venice. Because his symbol is the lion, many lions are hidden in the art around the theatre. My daughter got to do her “cool thing” on the tour when our guide handed her his laser pointer and let her point out the lions to the rest of the group.
Then it was way up to the top of the balcony, where we went through a tiny door and got our first glimpse behind-the-scenes. The lighting booth is up a very narrow, very steep, very hard concrete flight of stairs. If you can make it, it’s worth going up there as it’s one of the coolest parts of the tour. However, do be aware that the stairs are not easy.
The Main Floor, Act 2
We descended roughly two levels from the lighting booth to the main floor, where we saw what I think is one of the Hershey Theatre’s most stunning features: the tiled mosaic ceiling in the main floor foyer. We heard it took two German craftsmen two years to lay the tiny, shimmering pieces of the mosaic.
Our guide told us that most people walk right by it, never looking up. Lesson learned about the Hershey Theatre: always look up.
From the foyer, we made our way toward the stage, stopping at what tradition calls Mr. Hershey’s favorite seat: Row T, Seat 27. It’s the first row that sits up a whole step from the rows in front as the floor slopes gently upward, and it’s right beside an exit. Now you know for when you choose your seats.
Moving down to the stage, we saw the orchestra pit and the spot where the historic organ comes in and out of the floor. The floors of the orchestra pit can be raised and lowered, too.
We also got an up close view of the two-ton fire curtain that covers the stage. You’d never know it was a fire curtain; covered in a massive painting of a Venetian canal, it’s art.
Backstage at the Hershey Theatre
This is where the magic happens. Our backstage tour took us first onto the stage itself and then into the wings. When I moved here, I was told that Hershey gets a lot of shows touring out of New York City early in their run because it’s a nearby small-town stage where the cast and crew can practice adjustments to the performance, the sets, the lighting, and the other elements that go into making a show successful.
Turns out, the Hershey Theatre is known in the theatre world for having extremely small wing space. Apparently, we’ll never get The Lion King because there’s nowhere to put the animal costumes. Bummer.
On our way through the backstage labyrinth, we saw dressing rooms, the green room, and the laundry room where the costumes get washed. I’d never before thought about the process for keeping the costumes clean.
The Atmospheric Ceiling
From backstage, we emerged back onto the main floor and took our seats near the stage. For this final part of the tour, our two groups met up and, once again, looked up to see the atmospheric ceiling. I’m not sure how this works, but when the atmospheric ceiling is turned on, it looks just like you’re looking up into the night sky. There’s a daytime version with clouds, but that one wasn’t working on the day we toured.
It was a treat to get to see it because it’s not turned on very often during shows. Apparently, the performers don’t like seeing the audience’s chins as everyone looks at the ceiling instead of at the stage.
The atmospheric ceiling was an amazing spectacle in the 1930s. It’s still pretty cool today.
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On With the Show at the Hershey Theatre
Whether you live in Hershey or you’re just visiting, it’s well worth your time and money to take in the 90-minute Hershey Theatre Spotlight Tour, especially if you love live theater or historic architecture. While most of the tour group consisted of adults, there were several teenagers, along with my 7-year-old.
The tour can also be modified to accommodate folks with mobility issues. My mother-in-law is touring with her senior group next month. They’ve arranged to have a guide stay with any members of the group who need to stay on the ground floor and tell them about the less accessible areas. So don’t be deterred if you’d like to visit–most likely, there’s a way.
If you’d like to bring a private group or school/homeschool field trip, get in touch with the Hershey Theatre. The tour helps students fulfill Arts & Humanities Standard 9.1: Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts; Social Studies Standard 7.3: The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions; and 8.2: Pennsylvania History.
My daughter and I definitely have an increased appreciation for the world-class Hershey Theatre, which we’re so lucky to have in our small town.
We also have a new goal: to see as many shows as possible!
We’ve already booked our next tickets.
So we can remember all the historic sites we visit, I created a printable memory page called “My Historic Site Visit Journal Page.” Kids and adults can fill in the blanks and then stick it in a journal or scrapbook. You’re welcome to print as many as you need. Just pop your email in the box below and I’ll send it to you!
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8 comments
Wow! What a beautiful building, inside and out! Thanks for sharing 🙂
It really is delightful! 🙂
Loved visiting Hershey Pennsylvania years ago, and next time I visit I will definitely add this theatre tour to my itinerary – I love historic buildings!
It will not disappoint!
This is such a beautifully written article! I have heard about Hershey, but I wasn’t aware of the theater. I could almost feel like I was there with you by how descriptive your details were.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I hope you get the chance to visit Hershey one day. It’s a neat place.
Wow, that was really interesting. I never knew Hershey was a whole town with such a beautiful old theatre. Those vaulted ceilings are stunning. Thanks for sharing your visit as I’ll probably never see it in real life, though i’d love to travel all over the world to see awesome historic buildings (I’m South African).
What’s kind of funny is I never realized Hershey was such a small town until I moved here. I thought because I’d heard of Hershey, it must be a city–but turns out it’s just famous because of the chocolate company! It’s a lovely little town, though. Thanks for letting me share a bit of it with you.