Canton, GA
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Theatre Events and Facilities Director
770-704-0755
kristin.green@cantonga.gov
Historic Canton Theatre
Upcoming Showings and Productions
North Putnam - Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers
- Date: 04/13/2025 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
- Location: Canton Theatre
171 E Main St.
Canton, Georgia 30114
Join us Sunday, April 13th at 2pm for the final film in the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. This free screening will feature the documentary "North Putnam", followed by a panel discussion with Joel Fendelman (Director) and Beth Benedix (Producer), moderated by the Peabody Film Festival Founder Brent Zaffino-Lambert. Special thanks to the Fox Theatre for their partnership in bringing this program to the Canton Theatre.
The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a program of South Arts. This screening is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
North Putnam is a special initiative of The Castle, Beth Benedix's (Producer) Putnam County-based nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing learning experiences for students where they feel seen, heard, valued and empowered, and supporting teachers in their ability to create environments that spill over with joy, creativity, relevance, rigor and authenticity.
In Fall 2019, as Beth was putting together her syllabus for her existentialism course, an advertisement for Joel Fendelman's award-winning film, "Man on Fire," came across her email. She immediately watched the trailer, then contacted Joel, who Zoomed in with her class after they watched the film.
Deeply moved and impressed by Joel's non-intrusive and open-ended approach to storytelling, Beth proposed to him that they make a film that would create a conversation around public education as a vital component of a thriving democracy and that would set out to build bridges across divides.
The film depicts the larger context in which The Castle lives, the "why" behind the programs and partnerships it develops. We hope audiences come away feeling inspired by the administrators, teachers, students and community members of North Putnam and energized to develop strategies that are impactful in their own communities.
History of the Theatre
As early as 1911, the Historic Canton Theatre was used to show slides and silent movies. Later, in the early 1920s, the Theatre changed owners and was renamed “The Bonita,” which held movie showings on Fridays and Saturdays.
During this era, the popularity of the Theatre grew rapidly. The Theatre was soon renovated, expanded, and renamed “The Haven.” It presented the people of Canton first line shows, including their first talking motion picture, the 1928 film “Singing Fool,” starring famous singing star Al Jolson.
The “Haven” continued to be a movie house for several more years until the late 1930s, when the Theatre was sold to the Martin-Thompson Theatre Company. The newly named “Canton Theatre” was then remodeled to reflect the Art Deco design so popular during that time.
The spectacular new Theatre had improvements that were truly unique, such as a steel skeleton for improved stability and safety. The fireproof walls and sprinkler system ensured that no fire would last long. New air conditioning and heating systems were installed in the Theatre to make it more comfortable for larger audiences. New restrooms and dressing rooms had a modernistic design. Red and blue uniformed employees at the “Candy Bar” sold candy and popcorn from the new popper, while an array of bright neon lights surrounded the Theatre, bathing it in colorful beauty. The size of the stage was expanded to make it larger than ever before. The new Canton Theatre was indeed a splendid site at the Grand Opening, which took place on September 30, 1940.
The Canton Theatre played the best motion pictures of the time. It was described as a “thoroughly modern sound and movie palace, with all the comfort, light, and cheer that denotes a first class picture theatre housed in the "larger cities.”
The Theatre continued to show movies for 30 more years, but by the mid 1970s, the popularity of the Theatre declined dramatically. Many guests felt that it had become too out of date. They wanted to see movies with the convenience of drive-ins and with many more choices. As a result, the Theatre sat idle for many years and subsequently went into disrepair.
In 1994, the Theatre was purchased by an individual for restoration. The City of Canton then acquired the property in a land swap in 1997. It was later deeded to the Downtown Development Authority in order to secure financing for restoration, which soon began. The Canton Theatre was restored to the Art Deco style of the 1930s and was reopened in a Dedication Ceremony, taking place on May 26, 2000.
Since that time, the Canton Theatre has become a community fixture, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy live theatre from both local and traveling productions, as well as entertainment from musicians, comedians and film screening events.