The Orpheum Theatre was built by the Solari Bros in Sioux Falls in 1913 and began operating as a vaudeville theatre on October 2. The building originally included seating for 900 people and had a large auditorium, a balcony, and a backstage area for the performers and stage crew. By the 1920s, it was converted into a movie theatre for the silver screen but by the 1950s it once again became a place for the performing arts when it was purchased and restored by the Community Playhouse Association.
The theatre still offers many events to this day including community events, concerts, plays, musicals, private functions, and other events. With its beautifully preserved elegances, it still sees over 100,000 visitors per year. In 1983, it was included in the National Register of Historic Places. Paranormal activities related to the theatre seem to be centered around one ghostly figure named Larry. As one story goes, he made an appearance to an actor named Ray. While Ray was rehearsing his lines on stage alone one October evening in 1959, he looked up at the balcony as scripted. To his surprise, he saw a figure amidst a pulsing blue light waving to him. At the same time, he felt the cold breeze from an open freezer door so he promptly went and locked it. The next day, it was noted that the wired fuses to the freezer were blown despite being new. Ray was also hit on the head by two falling sandbags, one during dress rehearsal and one on opening night.
Another story involves a director named Jack who was cleaning the stage area in preparation for the next rehearsal. While sweeping the stage, he turned around to find a tiny picture of a bearded man on the floor. This surprised him because there was nobody there who could have dropped it. With an uneasy feeling, the director promptly. The photo remained in the building until its equally mysterious disappearance years later.
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