About Us

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.

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.

Share Your Orpheum Story with Us Here!

Meet The Orpheum Theatre Staff

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.

Eric was born and raised in Monmouth IL. Since early childhood, he loved art of all kinds and developed a particular affinity for music. He started playing guitar at the age of nine and quickly branched out into other instruments, as well as singing and song-writing. He’s been an active member in a number of local bands including SAPHEAD, S.A.P.P, The Kaufmans, Nobody Ever Dies (N.E.D), Channel Fuzz, Whopper Jaw, Ms. Fortune, Ghost Town Choir, Suspect Drivers, Extinguisher, Statues of Ash, Craig & Co., and more. He also operates a recording studio called Aiding & Abetting Studios, where he records artists from all backgrounds and genres, transforming the artists work into studio quality albums.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and a teaching certification from the University of Texas at Arlington’s Maverick Theatre Program. Originally from Plano, Texas, she spent years performing, directing, and designing across the Lone Star State’s vibrant theater scene. Her passion for theater education led her to a 13-year tenure with Granbury ISD, where she served as a theater instructor and ultimately the Artistic Director for Granbury High School Theatre Department. During her time there, Melissa specialized in production design, bringing stories to life through an intensive emphasis on hands-on prop masterwork and detailed set construction.

Originally from Canton, Illinois, Lily Scalf brings over 13 years of dynamic entrepreneurial experience to her role as the Marketing and Development Manager at The Orpheum. As the founder of her own successful fashion house specializing in custom and textile dyeing, Lily mastered the art of wearing many hats—expertly handling everything from web design and graphic marketing to brand strategy and community engagement.

Her deep background in art and fashion, combined with a lifelong love for theatre, allows her to bring a unique, visually stunning, and highly strategic vision to The Orpheum. Whether she is building community partnerships, designing promotional campaigns, or securing development opportunities, Lily is thrilled to fuse her business acumen with her love for the performing arts to help The Orpheum thrive.

A recent graduate from Monmouth College, Colin has degrees in both Theatre and Business Administration. He originally started out as an actor before discovering a love of everything behind the scenes: running teams, deciding contracts, organizing events, and much more. While still new to the world of professional theatre, Colin has worked as a part of the company management team at Powerhouse Theatre in New York, getting to engage and work alongside Broadway stars and musical legends.

Colin originally started out at The Orpheum as an intern while still in college, but over time and many productions, worked his way through part-time work and into the full-time position of today. The “Swiss Army Knife” of our team, Colin works a multitude of jobs at the theatre. From box office to running movies, managing concessions to venue recovery, Colin does a little bit of everything for us here at The Orpheum and we’re glad to have him as a part of our team!

See Our Board of Directors

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!

Dylana Larson

President

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.

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.

Board Members

Pippi Ardennia

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.

Doug Gibb

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.

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 and is now a restoration volunteer at The Galesburg Community Art Center as well.

Greg Norris

A long standing member of The Galesburg community, and deeply involved in performing arts, Greg Norris has been a partner of The Orpheum Theatre for decades through his company Norris Sound and Lighting. He’s always been dedicated to creating high quality live performances go off without a hitch.

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!

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Share Your Orpheum Story

Your Orpheum Story - The Legacy Project

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. Please fill out our form sharing your Orpheum story or give us to call to schedule an interview so you can become a part of history!

Share Your Orpheum Story

About Us

Early Days

Recent Memory

Meet The Orpheum Theatre Staff

Andrew Driscoll

Eric Christian

Melissa Hutson

Lily Scalf

Colin Kreipe