General Info

The Academy of Music Theatre, built by Edward H.R. Lyman in 1890, was the first municipally owned theatre in the United States. Many noted performers have performed on the stage of the academy, including Sarah Bernhardt, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Mae West, Boris Karloff, William Powell, Basil Rathbone, John Philip Sousa, Jeanette MacDonald and Ruth Gordon. The theatre is equipped with a Williams Sound FM assistive listening system, donated by the Northampton Quota Club. It also operates a gift shop that offers printed mugs, T-shirts, lithographs and wood-cuts of famous composers. The Academy of Music Theatre is a member of the League of Historic American Theatres. The theatre is located in Northampton, Mass.