A community keeping a landmark alive
The Egyptian Theatre opened in 1925 as one of the grand Egyptian Revival movie palaces that swept the country after King Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered. A century later, it is still standing, still showing films, and still filled with music, because a nonprofit and its volunteers refuse to let it go dark.
The ETPA renovates, preserves, and operates the historic Egyptian Theatre as a performing arts and entertainment center: a multi-use community gathering place where people can have fun and take part in a living piece of local history. The City of Coos Bay owns the building; the ETPA runs it, cares for it, and raises the funds that keep it whole.
A hundred years on Broadway
From a 1925 grand opening to a $1 million restoration and a National Register listing, the Egyptian’s story runs through nearly every chapter of Coos Bay’s history.
1925 · The Grand Opening
The theatre opened November 19, 1925 with 1,274 seats, a $32,000 Wurlitzer organ, and crowds of more than 2,000 over its first two days.
2010 · A National Landmark
The Egyptian earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places and, that same year, revealed the structural problems that would demand a major restoration.
2014 · Reopened & Restored
After more than $1 million in restoration work, the doors reopened in June 2014, and the Egyptian returned to the heart of downtown Coos Bay.
An orchestra played by one
Installed in 1925 for $32,000, the Egyptian’s Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra organ was built to sound like a whole orchestra under a single player’s hands: drums, castanets, marimba, a slide whistle, even galloping hooves. Nearly a century later, it still plays.
The instrument is a centerpiece of the theatre’s Egyptian Revival design and a labor of love for the volunteers and organists who keep it in voice.
Meet the WurlitzerThe next phase of restoration
The 2014 reopening saved the Egyptian. It didn’t finish the job. Sealing the back wall, finishing the balcony, upgrading the rigging, leveling the stage, adding backstage facilities for performers, and preserving the Mighty Wurlitzer: six major projects, and the ETPA needs the community’s support to fund every one of them.
Ways to support the Egyptian
Give
Make a one-time or recurring gift. Donations are tax-deductible, and 100% reaches the theatre.
DonateJoin
Become a member from $25 a year for ticket and concession discounts, a newsletter, and a voice in the association.
Become a MemberVolunteer
Ushers, projectionists, organists, and helping hands keep the doors open. There’s a place for everyone.
Volunteer