Paramount Theatre

The Paramount Theatre is the reason downtown Aurora came back. Architects C.W. and George L. Rapp designed the Venetian-themed Art Deco palace for the Aurora Theater Company, and the $1 million building opened on September 3, 1931, with a Wurlitzer organist flown in for the night. The theater ran movies, then roadhouse concerts, until CEO Tim Rater and artistic director Jim Corti launched a self-produced Broadway Series in 2011, starting with My Fair Lady and Hair. The series became eligible for Chicago’s Jeff Awards in 2015 and has since collected dozens of nominations. The company also programs RiverEdge Park concerts, the Copley Theatre and the Paramount School of the Arts.

What to know

• The theater opened September 3, 1931; Rapp & Rapp designed the building, which the Aurora Civic Center Authority operates.
• The box office at 23 E. Galena Boulevard answers at (630) 896-6666; the general line is (630) 896-7676.
• The self-produced Broadway Series began in 2011; the theater won five Jeff Awards in 2015 and six in 2022 for Kinky Boots.
• Sister venues include RiverEdge Park (2013), the 165-seat Copley Theatre (2021) and the Paramount School of the Arts (2019).
• Movie Mondays, comedy and touring concerts fill the calendar between Broadway runs.