Tom Harrold is back where he started.
In the mid- to late-1960s, he worked as a part-time usher at The Palace Theatre while in high school, earning about 55 cents an hour all while catching the latest flick. It was there that he met his wife — as he described it, “this cute girl that was working the candy counter.”
Their courtship blossomed in the Greensburg theater, and Tom and Vivian Harrold eventually married June 7, 1969.
Decades later, Tom Harrold of Hempfield is back at the theater working a few times a month — he calls it his “happy place.” Now a part-time ticket taker, Harrold, 77, relishes the opportunity to chat with crowds coming in for a show and, hopefully, leave them with a smile or laugh.
“It’s amazing the amount of power I have with a ticket,” he said.
For 100 years, the theater at the corner of West Otterman Street and North Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg has held something special for those with tickets. Originally known as the Manos Theatre, the opulent space opened Sept. 2, 1926, as a vaudeville and silent movie venue with 2,136 seats, according to a historical account on the theater’s website. It wasn’t long until motion pictures grew in popularity and Warner Bros. Theatres took over ownership for the next several decades.
In the 1970s, Cinemette Theatres Inc. of Pittsburgh bought the Manos Theatre and closed it after the company built a multi-screen theater. The Manos Theatre was sold in 1977 to a local businessman and renamed The Palace Theatre.
Live performances started taking the stage, including then up-and-coming artist Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine. In the late 1980s, with the theater in danger of being demolished, community leaders rallied and it instead was sold in 1990 to the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, now known as the Westmoreland Cultural Trust.
That group has spearheaded more than $18 million in renovations with additional projects being planned.
“One of the things we’re really very proud of is how we’ve preserved it so far,” said Sandee Williamson, trust director of development.
Over the decades, it has played host to numerous acts, including Tammy Wynette, George Carlin, Jay Leno, Bill Murray, Jonas Brothers, the Beach Boys, Jefferson Starship, Wiz Khalifa and a host of touring stage shows and musicals, as well as local performers.
On those show nights that the lights outside the theater are blinking, activity is bustling around town, said Benjamin Luczak, trust chief executive officer.
“We are the main economic driver to downtown Greensburg after 4 o’clock,” he said. “We’re really, really proud of that.”
In 2024, The Palace Theatre stage was host to 120 performances attended by more than 90,000 guests, according to a study conducted by nonprofit Fourth Economy. That resulted in an economic impact of more than $8.5 million.
Classic theater
With a French Renaissance design and marble throughout, The Palace Theatre has maintained much of its unique original look as the Manos Theatre. There’s even some Manos namesakes sprinkled around, including high on the exterior of the building and atop the restored ticket booth.
Keeping that history alive is an important part of the century-old story, Luczak said.
“I just love walking in and seeing the old chandeliers,” he said.
Two murals on either side of the theater were painted by French artist Louis Grell, who based the pictures on French fairy tales. They were restored in the late 1990s. There’s a hidden third mural above the proscenium — the arch that defines the stage — that Luczak hopes will eventually be revealed through ongoing restoration projects.
During a recent visit to Greensburg, award-winning actor and comedian Bill Murray seemed to love the venue for a performance with blues band The Blood Brothers, said Daniel Stainer, director of marketing and patron experience. Other performers have offered similar feedback.
“For them to still say it’s beautiful is a testament to how important the Palace is to the community,” he said.
But a lot has changed even though the grand aesthetic has remained — the four antique projectors that rest high above the stage and original silver screen for showing movies are no longer needed. Hearkening back to the original days, movies will once again be shown at the theater starting with “The Wizard of Oz” on July 11.
A connecting building that once housed Strand Sweets has been transformed into Megan’s Suite, an area for guests to socialize and grab a drink during a show. A small outdoor courtyard has taken the place of a neighboring building.
Over the past two years, there have been about $3 million in updates and there’s still more work to be done, such as new carpeting and seats, renovating dressing rooms for performers, a roof replacement and the creation of a lounge for donors and supporters, Luczak said.
The theater has stood the test of time, offering patrons an escape from daily life or the realities of the world, and a way to make memories with family and friends. Trust officials are looking to capture those community memories for a time capsule they’re preparing in honor of the 100th anniversary.
“It’s a place that you know when you go, you’re going to feel welcomed and you’re going to have a good time,” Luczak said.
Partnerships key to success
Just as important as drawing in big names and acts to keep the Palace going for another century is an investment in a new generation of aspiring performers, he said.
Expanding the theater’s role in supporting arts in the community is the trust’s duty and obligation, Luczak said.
“I think partnerships are the way of the future for nonprofits,” he said.
Local high schoolers and young adults are getting opportunities to get on the theater’s stage through new programs taking hold, said trust education and engagement manager Nick Lenz. He is planning a cross-district high school musical this fall that will allow students from around Westmoreland County to audition for roles in all facets the production, including musicians, backstage technicians, designers and producers.
Lenz calls it workforce development.
“That is where I’m working towards, is building an artistic workforce right here at home so artists don’t feel like they need to go to New York City, or even Pittsburgh, to get an seek the arts training that they want,” he said.
The theater recently hosted the annual Achievement in the Arts Awards, which honors local high school students. During the ceremony, $100,000 in scholarships were awarded.
Additionally, the popular Broadway to the Palace artist retreat, which brings Broadway performers to Greensburg, is slated to return later this summer.