The Lerner Theatre

The Lerner Theatre is Elkhart, Indiana's grand downtown showplace — a 1924 Adamesque movie-and-vaudeville palace at 410 South Main Street, owned and operated by the City of Elkhart and restored to its original splendour in an $18-million renovation completed in 2011. Marble floors, gilded plasterwork, a domed auditorium ceiling and an enormous chandelier give the room the feel of a small European opera house, and the ~1,650-seat house (945 on the main floor, 684 in the balcony) plus the adjoining 6,000-square-foot Crystal Ballroom make it the largest performance venue in Elkhart County. Now past its centenary, the Lerner books touring comedy alongside Broadway tours, ballet, opera and the Elkhart County Symphony — recent and upcoming headliners include Bert Kreischer, Charlie Berens, Amber Autry and the Bored Teachers comedy tour — and fills out its calendar with free community programming: Elkhart Municipal Band concerts, the Lerner Loves You film series and Kimball organ recitals. The theatre is a KultureCity-certified sensory-inclusive venue.