Mission & History
Discover The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts: explore our history, learn our mission and meet our community.
The life and death and rebirth of The Hanover Theatre is very symbolic of what’s happening to our city.
A Cultural Jewel of Central Massachusetts
Curtains up on the cultural jewel of central Massachusetts.
With a sweeping grand staircase and elegant chandeliers, The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts transports its audience back to the time when a night out at the theatre was one of the most delightful entertainment options available. Today, it serves as a center of culture, education and community. It also symbolizes the rebirth of a city.
Selected by POLLSTAR as one of the Top Theatres in the World, The Hanover Theatre seats 2,300 audience members before its historic stage. Renovated and restored in 2008, the theatre brings internationally recognized performers, popular Broadway shows and thought-provoking stage pieces to central Massachusetts. Our restoration and therefore new ability to bring the world to Worcester served as a catalyst of the revitalization of Worcester’s (and central Massachusetts’s) cultural district. With the theatre at its center, our city became a place where the performing arts were not only accessible, but world-renowned.
View our Annual Report to the Community to see what we have accomplished in the past fiscal year.
Our Mission & Vision
To ignite and nurture a passion for the performing arts in audiences and artists of today and tomorrow.
To be a dynamic downtown destination where all people can experience the transformative power of the performing arts.
We’re constantly striving to live our mission and vision. From partnering with local businesses to providing multiple educational programs for our youth, getting the top Broadway tours of today to future programming on the new plaza, our ambitions are mighty.
Land Acknowledgement
Land is something sacred to all of us, whether we consciously appreciate it or not, it is the space upon which we play, live, eat, find love and experience life. The land is ever-changing and ever-shifting, giving us and all other creatures and beings on the earth an infinite number of gifts and lessons. Today, we want to acknowledge the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Nipmuc Nation on which we are working and currently performing in Worcester, MA. We recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. This sort of acknowledgement is essential to human rights work across the world. It is essential to our work of honoring stories that explore the human experience.
THE HANOVER THEATRE COMMUNITY
From our theatre staff to our board of directors, volunteers to business partners, The Hanover Theatre is comprised of a community of people passionate about Worcester, live theatre and the importance of the performing arts.
Visit Our Beautiful, Historic Theatre
Come visit The Hanover Theatre and experience its beauty, history and elegance for yourself!