The hoopla surrounding the 100-year anniversary of the marvelous and historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas will include a new series of events programmed for theater season in the fall, when all the la-dee-das return from Aspen.

It began in April 2021, when the Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) launched the Majestic Centennial Celebration, marking the theaer's 100th anniversary.

The Majestic Theatre first opened its doors in 1921 and is the last standing theater of Theatre Row, Dallas' historic Elm Street entertainment center.

The theater was designed by John Eberson, whom a release says was one of the foremost designers of theaters in the early 20th century. The Majestic served as the crown jewel of Karl Hoblitzelle's Interstate Theater Company, and the Hoblitzelle Foundation gifted The Majestic Theatre to the City of Dallas in January 1976.

After a restoration, the theater reopened in 1983 as a performing arts venue.

A documentary aptly called Majestic 100: Celebrating 100 Yearspremiered on KERA Channel 13, who will rebroadcast it on Saturday August 7 at 6 pm, and again throughout the year, as well as at upcoming, special, in-person events. It's also on YouTube if you are so inclined. You'd practically have to be a hermit to miss a screening.

Now, with in-person events back on, Centennial Chairman Lynn McBee is planning more ways to celebrate this milestone:

Saturday, September 18, a gala dinner will be held onstage. The evening will be chaired by Kim Hext and will celebrate the legacy and impact of the theater's owner Karl Hoblitzelle and Hoblitzelle Foundation. A Majestic Centennial Award will be presented to Deedie Rose for her dedication and service to preservation, the performing arts, and Dallas. The dinner is already sold out. Proceeds will go towards the Friends of the Majestic Fund, an accessibility fund for Dallas education and arts organizations to utilize the theater who otherwise may not have the ability to rent it on their own.

Sunday September 19 from 1-3pm, the Majestic is hosting a Community Open House co-chaired by Elizabeth Wattley and Marissa Horne at the theater and the adjacent Pacific Plaza Park. This Open House will be an indoor-outdoor experience with music by Herbie Johnson, performances by Dallas Black Dance Theatre, a family movie screening of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 silent film The Kid with accompaniment by pianist Paul Slavens. There'll be tours of the theater, food trucks, and performances at Pacific Park Plaza.

April 2022, the Majestic Theatre will close out its 100th year with a third major event, a special concert still TBA to launch the Majestic into a new century.

To learn more or perchance to donate, visit majestic.dallasculture.org/centennial.