The Astor Theatre is the oldest performing arts venue in the province and one of only two independent movie theatres in Nova Scotia.

Built in 1902 as part of the Liverpool Town Hall, the Astor was originally known as the Liverpool Opera House. For fifteen years, the Opera House hosted touring and local shows until silent pictures were introduced in 1917. Films became increasingly popular and in 1930 the first “talkie” – “Love in the Rough” – was shown. It was around this time that the Opera House was renamed the Astor Theatre after Seth Bartling Sr’s favourite theatre in New York.

World War II saw the Astor featuring regular war documentaries and news reels became a staple of the Astor’s presentations. After the war, the theatre was renovated to accommodate more patrons as movies became more and more popular. A larger screen and widened proscenium arch allowed for larger pictures.

Live presentations started to make a comeback in 1979 with productions from the Winds of Change Dramatic Society and later on the Astor Theatre Society treading the boards. Both Societies are still in operation and regularly present high-level amateur productions.

The Astor is a hub of activity for Queens and many notables have visited Liverpool to perform there, including Ben Heppner, Rita MacNeil, Tommy Hunter, and Symphony Nova Scotia to name a few.

GPS: 44.038663, -64.715436

219 Main Street, Liverpool, NS
902-354-5250
www.astortheatre.ns.ca