Absolutely Gorgeous! This theater was built in one year by businessman George Coleman Sr. because he wanted vaudville to come to Miami, OK. That's pronounced "My-am-uh" The outside is notable. The inside is palacial. Gifted to the city by the decendant of the original owner, the city thought to knock it down. It was in need of restoration and the city did not have the funds. Local citizens banded together to save this theater from demolition doing repairs themselves, a little at a time as the money trickled in. Boy has that labor of love been worth it! The original 1928 Wurlitzer organ was sold after the advent of modern movies when it was no long necessary for live music to accompany films. During the restoration process a stranger overheard a conversation about locating the origial organ to reinstall it at the theater. This stranger knew who owned that organ! After much fundraising, the original organ is back in it's place. The theater has remained open through the years for vaudville, stars of stage and screen performed here, movies from silent era to today, community theater group performances and they host the local elementary school Christmas concerts. Volunteer docents give tours of the lobby and theater to visitors. There is no fee, but they accept donations toward continued restoration. Definitely worth a visit. read more

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Beautiful building and great tour. Glad we got to see it. Only downside was the little 80 something year old docent with white hair in a ponytail was wearing so much perfume that it was hard to breath. Please tell her that less is more. Or better yet don't wear any. Ugh read more

What a gem in little ole Ottawa county Oklahoma! If you've never been on a tour of the Coleman Theatre, it's a must see! I can't believe this was my first time. The history is fantastic! It's stunning inside. I hope to come back and see some kind of production in the future. They give excellent tours. Definitely check this out if you're cruising Route 66! read more

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If you enjoy history even a little this place is great! This post is a couple of years old as I found it in my review drafts but I still remember our stop here very well. It was amazing seeing such an historic building kept up and used. It was almost like stepping back in time. We were driving home from our vacation and stopped in this little community for a walking break and somehow found our way in here. They had a couple of volunteers there ready to give tours and they did a great job sharing the history and you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. The tour was free but they did accept donations. If you have a few minutes on your way through the area, be sure and stop in. read more

Coleman Theatre - Performing Arts Near Me - Miami, Oklahoma

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Ghost ? On our way home from Branson, Route 66 drive and a great stop! This is a must! Just a donation asked. Very nice ladies and one will give you a tour. I am not a history person and I was all ears. This place has an air about it. Lady even said ghost have said to appear. I am a believer so made it interesting. Alot of history about owners . Still a working theater! We would love to go back and see a performance. Tickets looked very reasonable for past shows. Lady even directed us to Micky Mantle statue and house in town. read more

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The Coleman is an absolutely stunning place, and if anyone is ever in the area for some reason, you should definitely take a peek inside if it's open, or go to a show there. I feel so fancy going there!!! It's covered in red velvets and golds almost throughout the entire building. The box office goes to the outside (so you buy your tickets before coming inside). When you walk in, the first thing you see is the concession stand to the right. They have popcorn, some candy options, and soft drinks. They also sell some souvenirs type things like T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. To the left, you'll see a wall of mirrors and a bench for seating. I'm not exactly sure what the seating is there for, but maybe if the lines get really long or something, or if you get there really early before the actual theater is open. Then straight ahead is one set of stairs leading to the balcony area. There is another set of stairs if you walk a few more feet forward, also leading to the balcony area. This second set of stairs has a smallish golden statue of a woman at the bottom of the rail, and you can touch her foot for good luck if you want! At the bottom of the stairs are bathrooms. When you go upstairs there is a lobby area, more bathrooms, and an entrance to the ballroom that's connected to the theater. Inside the theater itself is beautiful! They just don't make (local) theaters that look like this anymore. They totally should though, because it's incredible. Like the rest of the building, it's covered in red and gold. The details are extremely intricate when you look around. I can only imagine how much work went into making it look so incredible. There are plenty of seats and they are standard theater seats as far as comfort. Almost every seat it the theater (which again is quite a few) has a small plaque on it dedicating it to someone... I think that's kind of cool! The stage is a nice size. It's not huge but it's definitely big. Another really cool thing to mention is that because it's an older theater, it still has all of the old fashioned tech stuff in place. And by tech, I mean no tech, so there's lots of ropes and levers and things on the wings of the stage that make it look really cool! They also have an organ to the side of the stage which is probably one of their prouder features. They seem to use it a lot for events. Like they do a lot of live playing of it along with silent movies or famous movies (I think they recently did Wizard of Oz). Anyway, worth a visit if you ever find yourself in the area and if the timing works out. Jealous that I don't have a theater like this in Tulsa!! read more

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Fun, over the top Twenties theatre kept in decent shape over the decades. Nice little tour if you get stuck in Miami (pronounced "My-AM-uh") Oklahoma for a day or two. Loved the giant Wurlitzer kept on site! read more

We stopped in just an hour before they closed to add an attraction to our Route 66 trip and was it worth it! We were showed around, got to explore whatever we wanted, and even got to hear the authentic organ from the 1920s play a song from Phantom! And free! They run on donations! It was great to hear a bit about the history and even some ghost tales! A great stop with great people! Thank you for this amazing experience. read more

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Beautiful theater in downtown Miami, Oklahoma. We went to a screening of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" with an electronic cello performer providing the score, and it was just the sort of offbeat and fun entertainment you don't really expect on Route 66. I will definitely make a point of returning to Coleman Theater though as it's beautifully maintained and comfortable. Although we did not come early in the day for a tour of the premises, we were lucky enough to get an impromptu mini tour prior to the movie and loved seeing the upstairs and lovely restored ballroom. Lots of interesting history here and a great vibe from all of the staff/docents we encountered. I highly recommend this venue! read more

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It's an old story, this time with a happy ending. Some tycoon back in eastern Oklahoma's heyday of lead and zinc mining loved theater enough to put up a palace right on Route 66. He hired the Boller Brothers, builders of great Midwestern venues. It's still called The Coleman Theatre Beautiful, and rightly so. It almost went down but didn't, thanks to local grit and elbow grease. Now we are welcome to tour for free, with docents as lovely as the balustrades. read more

You'll find me at the Coleman every time Dennis James comes to town with his silent movies and sheet music, which is about three times a year. James plays the musical accompaniment for the films on the original "Mighty Wurlitzer" pipe organ, creating a fun back-in-time experience. The theater itself is a stunning jewel and worth a visit just to see it. Call ahead for tour times. The Coleman is an Oklahoma treasure. read more

This is definitely a must see! I visited this morning, received a tour of the theatre, and had a wonderful and informative tour guide. This a a beautiful building along with interesting history. They have done a remarkable job restoring this. They continue to have events here of various sorts. I'm looking forward to seeing a silent movie, accompanied with a cellist, this weekend. If you're in the area, you really should plan a visit. You won't be disappointed. read more

The Coleman, and it's gorgeous Wurlitzer organ, is just masterful. Larry Irwin gave us great tours a few years back. Not sure if he's still around there, but if he is, ask about the Mystery Tours. The Coleman has a rich history and many interesting stories! read more

Attended a wedding here and it was SO AMAZING. the building was so beautiful. Then the guy that was helping was SO GREAT. I loved every second there. read more

Excellent tour. Please go if you have a chance. The history of this theatre is really tremendous and the restoration is amazing. This theatre has been in operation since 1929. So many great stories and entertainers have passed through these doors. I am so happy I was able to go through these doors as well. The great staff Sharon and Danny are top notch, they know so much. Be prepared to want to donate money. Thank you again for a memorable afternoon. read more