Major Damage Forces Owensboro’s Empress Theater to Close

One of the best moves ever made in this city, in my opinion, was when Theatre Workshop of Owensboro purchased the Empress Theater downtown. The former home of Goldie's Best Little Opryhouse in Kentucky and the Malco Theater was the perfect investment. It gave TWO the room they needed for big musical productions, for example. Smaller shows are produced at Trinity Theatre on 5th Street.

Owensboro's Empress Theatre Closed Indefinitely After Damage

Well, as of today, all shows that were earmarked for performances at the Empress Theatre will have to find another location. The enormous blue velvet curtains on the theater's walls have fallen, and they took large amounts of plaster that were on the walls with them. Lighting fixtures also fell, causing damage to flooring and several seats.

Fortunately, no one was in the theatre at the time of the collapse, so there were no injuries. But the Empress Theater will be out of commission indefinitely; at this time, according to TWO Executive Director Callie Whitmore, there is currently no estimate for the cost of repairs or how long they will take.

Callie Whitmore; Canva

Shows Planned for the Empress Theatre Will Move Elsewhere

Five productions in TWO's 2026-2027 season were slated for the Empress:  Frankenstein 1930, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Jungle Book, Grease, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All will now have to be staged elsewhere. Additionally, the New Beginnings event, "Stories, Stage, & Strength: Anthony Rapp in Conversation," set for September 26 at the Empress, will also have to relocate.

Some events, like youth auditions for Radium Girls, have moved to Kentucky Wesleyan College's Ralph Center, while the Youth Stage Combat Workshop will be held at Trinity.

The Empress Theater opened in 1912 and has been a treasured Owensboro landmark ever since.