About Us

Early Days

In 1915, William J. Olson, owner of the Gaiety Theatre at the corner of Cherry and Simmons Streets, engaged the prominent architectural firm of C.W. & George L. Rapp to break ground for the Orpheum Theatre. The Rapp brothers were making waves with their philosophy that a theatre should be “a shrine to democracy where the wealthy rub elbows with the poor.”

Their free blend of Italian Renaissance and Second Empire style of 19th century France with flourishes of classical, baroque and art nouveau gave the Orpheum an eclectic elegance.  The Orpheum was budgeted at an astonishing $75,000, but when finished wound up costing over $135,000.

Built as a vaudeville house, The Orpheum hosted many early stars of stage and screen, including Jack Benny, George Burns, Houdini, Al Jolson, Edgar Bergen, Fanny Brice and Blackstone the Magician.  The Orpheum was the finest in construction, acoustics, and accommodations, but as was the fate of most palaces of the era, the Orpheum’s splendor could not withstand the demise of vaudeville and the rising popularity of television.  

Recent Memory​

By the late 1970s, the Orpheum was part of the Kerasotes movie theater conglomerate. Due to high operating costs, the Orpheum was forced to close in 1982. The theatre was donated by the Kerosotes Company to the Knox County Civic Center Authority and a successful fund drive by the Prairie Players Civic Theatre raised $100,000 to restore the Orpheum to its former glory. A $2-million grant from the State of Illinois made the plan a reality. On May 5, 1988, the curtain rose on the Henry Mancini Orchestra for the re-inauguration gala.

Today, the Orpheum continues to reflect its former glory, bringing to the stage a diverse blend of the finest entertainment including Mickey Rooney, Collin Raye, the Doobie Brothers, Glen Miller Orchestra, Bo Diddley, The Acting Company and the Russian National Ballet companies. The theatre is also home to many local performing arts and non-profit organizations that bring music, movies, dance and theatre to our stage.

Meet The Orpheum Theatre Staff

Andrew Driscoll image

Andrew Driscoll

Executive Director

Graduating from Peoria High School, Andrew Driscoll started his career as a professional actor and singer in New York City performing on Broadway and along with his solo performance work also released 3 vocal recordings. Post 9/11, Andrew made the choice to move back to Peoria and create its first resident nonprofit professional theatre exclusively contracting actors and stage managers from Actors’ Equity Association within the Apollo Theatre on Main Street. After 2 years, he made the business decision to relocate the effort as a for profit venture along Peoria’s Riverfront with the purchase of a venue called The Waterhouse on Water Street. For the next 20 years, The Waterhouse at the original location and for the last 10 years in the MAXAM Building has been the umbrella organization which has hosted and executed over 1,000 private banquet events and 850 shows including performances from Central Illinois Dueling Pianos, Peoria Cabaret Theatre, and the Broadway Lounge.

Tim Holmes

Box Office Manager​

Tim Holmes grew up in the ROWVA community and has lived in the Galesburg area for most of his life.  Tim has been very involved in the theatre community, working with groups like Prairie Players Civic Theatre, Galesburg Community Theatre, Carl Sandburg College, Stage Right Productions and Coffee Bean Theatre.  Tim is an instructor/director with the Performing Arts Academy of Galesburg, where he teaches acting classes and works towards producing their annual spring musical.  Through the organization, Tim has had the opportunity to work with many talented and dedicated kids, parents, and volunteers. Favorite shows at the Academy include Shrek, The Little Mermaid, and Annie.  Tim is also a native to the stage, and some of his favorite roles include: Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown, The Major General in Pirates of Penzance, and George Hay in Moon Over Buffalo. Tim enjoys directing the Orpheum Ensemble and their live radio plays. Other shows he has directed include:South Pacific, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Guys and Dolls. 

Cianja Bone

Marketing and Development Manager

Cianja (see-ahn-yah) is originally from Colorado, and recently graduated from Knox College with a degree in Creative Writing and Philosophy. While at Knox, Cianja grew to love The Orpheum Theatre, and is excited to get the privlege of staying in town and working here. In their free time they work on writing plays and have had plays produced and recognized by Knox college, The Davenport Awards, and Pocket Theater VR.  Cianja is the newest addition to our Orpheum staff and is excited to get to learn more about the theatre every day. 

THE ORPHEUM THEATRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Orpheum Theatre is actually run by two boards!  The first is The Orpheum Theatre Inc, NFP and the second is The Knox County Metropolitan Exposition, Auditorium, and Office Building Authority.  Both boards are comprised of the same members.  You can see why we just refer to them as The Orpheum Theatre Board of Directors!

Keri Dodson
President

Keri Dodson is the Community Engagement Director at Bridgeway, a nonprofit organization providing health and human services to communities in northern and west central Illinois. Prior to her role at Bridgeway, Keri worked for Western Illinois University’s Athletic Department. Keri has a rich history working in the sports field, but now takes her expertise into making community members “fans” of the nonprofit organizations she is a part of. In addition to serving as the Orpheum Theatre’s Board President, she is a board member for Camp Kidz, the chair for Young Professionals Network in Galesburg, member of the Young Professionals Network in Macomb, a Mental Health First Aid Trainer, and a volunteer at many local nonprofit organizations in the Galesburg area.

Andrew Driscoll
Executive Director

Graduating from Peoria High School, Andrew Driscoll started his career as a professional actor and singer in New York City performing on Broadway and along with his solo performance work also released 3 vocal recordings. Post 9/11, Andrew made the choice to move back to Peoria and create its first resident nonprofit professional theatre exclusively contracting actors and stage managers from Actors’ Equity Association within the Apollo Theatre on Main Street. After 2 years, he made the business decision to relocate the effort as a for profit venture along Peoria’s Riverfront with the purchase of a venue called The Waterhouse on Water Street. For the next 20 years, The Waterhouse at the original location and for the last 10 years in the MAXAM Building has been the umbrella organization which has hosted and executed over 1,000 private banquet events and 850 shows including performances from Central Illinois Dueling Pianos, Peoria Cabaret Theatre, and the Broadway Lounge.

Ryan Probst 
Treasurer

Ryan was born and raised in Galesburg and still enjoys spending time in the community. He joined the board in 2021 and was happy to accept the role of Treasurer last year. Ryan has worked at the Holiday Inn Express in Galesburg for 8 years and loves hanging out with his son Reid. In his spare time Ryan spends most of his time outdoors or on DIY home projects.

Corey Fineran
Secretary

Corey is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Transition Curriculum Inc. (NextUp), a company that creates curriculum and resources that prepare high school students with disabilities for life after high school in the areas of employment, independent living skills, and post-secondary training. Corey was born and raised in Galesburg until age nine. He returned to Knox County with his family and has called it home since 2012. Corey is also on the Quad Cities Transition Planning Committee and Knox County Transition Planning Committee and previously served on the ROWVA Public Schools Foundation.

 

Members

Gary Morgan

Gary graduated from Abingdon High School and subsequently attended WIU to study Medical Technology. He worked at Galesburg Cottage Hospital and was a Laboratory Manager at St. Clement Hospital. He spent 37 years in medicine sales and management. After retiring, he began to volunteer to restore The Orpheum Theatre. He is now a restoration volunteer at The Galesburg Community Art Center as well.

Scott Cramer

Scott Cramer is a full time real estate agent, author and founder of several micro-startups. He has launched several faith-based initiatives and is currently the pastor of The Grove Church. Scott earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Knox College.  As the sixth generation of his family to call this area home, Scott and his wife Jena raise their seven children on a hobby farm in rural Knox County.

Alec Guroff

Alec Guroff is the CFO of Knox College, and a proud member of the Knox County community. Before moving to the area, he provided finance, accounting and consulting services to non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area. Alec is also treasurer and head of the finance committee at the Synetic Theater and a member of the finance committee at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land.

Karen Cates

Karen has been a member of the Galesburg community off and on since 1999. She is a management consultant specializing in executive coaching, strategic planning and advisor to leadership teams in for- and nonprofit companies. Retired from teaching in 2020, she instructed at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University for 25 years and at Monmouth College for eight years in the aughts. Karen has consulted to nonprofit boards for 30 years and served six years on the board of the then Galesburg Civic Art Center and as a co-founder of Farm to School of Park County in Livingston, Montana for eight years.

Jaclyn Smith-Esters

Jaclyn Smith-Esters fell in love with Galesburg 20 years ago when she moved from her hometown Galva to attend Carl Sandburg College. She fully immersed herself in the community by participating with the local arts and the Orpheum Theatre. In 2008 Jaclyn left Galesburg to pursue higher education at Western Illinois University and received two bachelor’s degrees: Theatre and Anthropology and shortly afterwards received her master’s in sociology. While attending school she met her husband Paul and started a family. After their son was born it was easy to decide where to move to raise their pride and joy. “Galesburg is a city that has a big heart and progressive minds.” Jaclyn currently works for the Salvation Army with the program Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). Her passion is creating a community that is dedicated to diversity and inclusion.

Dylana Larson

Dylana Larson grew up in Collinsview and studied at Illinois state before moving to Galesburg and serving as the Director of Recruitment and Student Life Coordinator at Carl Sandburg College. She then spent 8 years as the Cultural Director at American Hospitality Academy. Her passion for Knox county residents is evident; she has served on the board at Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center, the Galesburg Community Chorus and Family Planning of Western Illinois.

The Orpheum Theatre Strategic Plan

At the end of 2023, The Orpheum Theatre Board decided to begin a process of Strategic planning, to elevate The Orpheum Theatre’s operations to the next level. While that process is ongoing, we are excited to be able to show you our plan so far!

 

Your Orpheum Story

The Orpheum Theatre, built in 1916, has a rich and incredible history in the Galesburg community. Since it was created, the theatre has been everything from a vaudeville variety theatre, to a movie theatre, to a rental venue space, to a historical site. The theatre is rich with history and rich with stories, and we want to hear yours! Whether it’s a movie you saw in the good old days, a show you were in last week, or just an amazing event you got to see, we want to know more. Feel free to fill out our form sharing your Orpheum story, or post it on social media and tag the Galesburg Orpheum so we can hear about your experiences!
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