F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts

Opened in 1938 as the Art Deco Comerford Theater — the flagship movie palace of the M.E. Comerford chain — and reborn in 1986 as the nonprofit F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, this 1,832-seat room on Wilkes-Barre's Public Square is northeastern Pennsylvania's main stage for touring work. Saved from demolition by the citizens' group S.T.O.P. and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it still hangs its original cylindrical chandelier, the Giant Lavaliere, between the staircases to the mezzanine lobby. The Kirby programs more than 80 cultural and educational shows a year — concerts and tribute acts, a classic film series, ballet, the NEPA Philharmonic and the Laux Young People's Theater series for school groups — alongside a steady run of touring standup; recent and upcoming bills include Jeff Dunham, Matt Mathews, Gary Owen, John Crist, Kathleen Madigan, and Joe Gatto with Drew Lynch. Tickets are sold only through Ticketmaster and the venue's own Sordoni Family Foundation Box Office.