Renovated United Theatre Reopens In Westerly

WESTERLY, RI — First-run movies seven days a week, live music, theater, arts education and more are now part of the downtown scene in Westerly.

The United Theatre at 5 Canal Street has reopened following 15 years of hard work and a $12 million renovation. The 1926 theater, which closed in 1986, was purchased by the Westerly Land Trust in 2006 as part of its Urban Program. The non-profit Ocean Community United Theatre shepherded the project and will run the facility.

The United hosted a ribbon-cutting last week, with executive director Lisa Utman Randall and artistic director Tony Nunes welcoming guests to the new facility.

The versatile arts complex also incorporates the adjacent former Montgomery Ward building. It features a black-box theater for up to 650 people, a 90-seat cinema for first-run and revival films, an art gallery, and a 30-seat flexible space. An education center will host classes, workshops and studios in music, film, visual and performing arts. The center will also be home to the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School.

The United Theater under construction in March of 2021. (Mary Serreze/Patch)

As part of the renovation, a new marquee was created and installed. The non-profit theater is part of the National Register of Historic Places.