OUR MISSION

The Salem Playhouse aims to bring new life to a historic landmark, serving the greater Salem community as a hub for artistic, cultural, and educational events.

 

Rooted in the city’s rich heritage, we’re committed to shaping its future as a place to connect, celebrate, and learn.

 

We also seek to preserve the legacy of our building, which is steeped in Salem’s history and lore. Inspired by its founders – advocates for abolition, women’s suffrage, LGBTQ+ rights, and other movements for social justice – we aim to honor their progressive spirit through inclusive programming and community engagement.

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OUR HISTORY

The city of Salem has grown and changed around our historic building, originally the First Universalist Society of Salem, which was built on the city's waterfront.

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The church building was constructed in 1808 under the guidance of Perley Putnam, with Reverend Hosea Ballou, a founder of the Universalist Church, laying the cornerstone of the Federal-style building.

 

In 1888 and 1889, the Bolles wing was added, and a Hutchings organ – with 1,200 pipes – was installed in the meetinghouse portion of the building (now known as Murray Hall).

 

In 1983, our building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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In 2015, facing dwindling membership, the church voted to merge with First Parish Church in Beverly. Rather than see the historic building repurposed into offices or condominiums, the congregation chose to transform it into a nonprofit – creating 211 Bridge Street Corporation to preserve its legacy and continue serving the community.

 

Over the years, our building – both as a church and later as a nonprofit – has served as an incubator for local nonprofits, a home for arts organizations, and a venue for theatrical, musical, charitable, and civic events.

 

In 2020 and 2021, however, the pandemic forced us to pause public programming – which afforded us time to regroup, reimagine our future, and seek funding to support our long-term goals.

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OUR FUTURE

In 2023, we completed an adaptive reuse study that confirmed a clear market opportunity for a community-centered performing arts and education center in Salem.

 

Based on those findings, our consultants created detailed physical, operational, and financial plans, which we shared in a series of public meetings. The response was overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing our vision for a self-sustaining, vibrant destination that will entertain, engage, enrich, and inspire.

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Our dream is to create a space the greater Salem community can use and be proud of for generations to come – a place that will...

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• enhance downtown development;

• align with “Imagine Salem” as a bricks and mortar project buoyed by market demand;

• support the city’s sense of community and authenticity;

• provide a significant positive impact with new programming opportunities;

• embrace the community’s diversity;

• help sustain local businesses;

• provide employment opportunities;

• and play a role in entertaining the influx of fall visitors.

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