Jobs at Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc.

Shining bright as a community gem in downtown Huntington, the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center opened its doors on May 7, 1928. Featuring a range of outstanding national and local productions alongside some of the state’s best film festivals since its opening, the Keith-Albee is also a popular setting for benefits and conferences and is a stunning spot for weddings and events.

Brothers Abe and Sol Hyman, majority owners of The Greater Huntington Theatre Corporation, had built the Keith-Albee, to greatly enhance their family of downtown theatres that then included the Huntington, the Orpheum, and the State. Built at a cost of $2 million and requiring 14 months to construct, it has retained its original red and gold color scheme, stained glass lighting, and a mix of Moorish and Spanish décor. It is the only fully intact atmospheric theatre designed by Scottish-born, American architect Thomas Lamb in the United States. During construction, two million bricks, 550 tons of steel, 97 cars of cement, and 15 cars of plastering were used. Except for the stage floor, the entire building is constructed of brick, concrete, and steel. The lobby is 30 x 55 feet. The main auditorium measures 155 x 120 feet. At its center was a 3,000-seat main auditorium with superior acoustics, a fully rigged stage 90 feet wide and 45 feet deep, and four floors of adjacent dressing rooms, each named for large American cities. Trap doors on the stage enabled animals, performers, and equipment to rise to the stage or sink into a large room below.

For 97 years, the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center has stood the test of time, but it has experienced the natural deterioration of usage and age. In 2019, the KAPAC Board of Directors hired a Director of Development to embark upon a $30 Million Capital Campaign for the restoration of the theatre. The Director of Development worked in concert with the Board President, the Director of Building Operations, and a certified AE firm to develop biddable Architectural/Engineering design documents. These documents were used to develop a plan for financial strategies and construction priorities. The doors to the theatre were closed in December 2023 so that Phase One of a three-phase capital construction plan could occur. Phase One renovations are expected to be finished in August 2025. These Phase One renovations include waterproofing the rear basement wall; a new water and sprinkler service; a new electrical service, fire alarm, and switchgear; new handicapped seating; renovation of the basement dressing rooms; renovation of the restrooms in the basement and the first-level; architectural painting in the auditorium, mezzanine, balcony, and hallways, as well as the foyer and marquee areas; installation of new chairs throughout the theatre; and installation of the carpet in the front lobby and main auditorium. Two other phases of construction have been identified for an annex with an elevator and loading area; sound system; completion of remaining dressing rooms; front-of-house elevator; and renovation of the facade on the front of the building. These phases will be completed at later times as funding is secured and around theatre operations and programming.

Facing changing times and tastes of audiences, economic trends, and different lifestyles, the Keith-Albee has been threatened with becoming an endangered species over its lifetime. But the theatre has stood the years, varying its bill of fare, physical structure, and technology to meet the mood of the public, all the while retaining its original feeling of design. And today, the Keith-Albee is more than just a performance stage for quality arts, culture, entertainment, and special community events. It is an important part of our heritage, an economic driver for the City of Huntington, and a venue for understanding our past and envisioning a more equitable future for all. 

The mission of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc. is to: promote the appreciation and participation in the visual arts; promote and encourage the expressions of creativity through the creative arts; promote education in fine arts; sponsor and operate the Keith Albee Theatre as a creative arts center; and provide a facility for the presentation and/or sponsorship of cultural and entertainment events.