April 26, 2022

The Cabot’s Big Night a Big Success with Tedeschi Trucks and Mavis Staples

by Felicia Cheney

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The Cabot is pleased to announce its “Big Night” event was a tremendous success, with funds raised going towards making the theater more accessible for all patrons. 

The in-person event, hosted on Thursday, April 14, welcomed Tedeschi Trucks Fireside Live and Mavis Staples to the stage. The event was in support of The Cabot’s capital campaign, which aims to raise $9.5 million to fully renovate the theater inside and out, with all systems being upgraded and modernized. While much progress was completed prior to the show, the campaign was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign got a solid restart with the success of Big Night.

“After months of much planning and work, the night turned out better than any of us anticipated. It was truly a marvel to see Tedeschi Trucks [Fireside Live] and Mavis [Staples] on stage,” said J. Casey Soward, Executive Director of The Cabot. “Big Night felt like a message of love to The Cabot from our North Shore community. From the bottom of our hearts, we are so grateful to everyone’s support in helping make The Cabot stand strong for years to come.”

With the monies raised, the project will install a LULA (Limited Use/Limited Access) elevator to transport patrons, staff and artists between the street-level lobby, balcony lobby/mezzanine, and artist green rooms/office space. The project will include significant masonry, carpentry, and electrical work since our 100-year-old building was not designed to accommodate an elevator.  

Eventually, there will also be the installation of two single restrooms on the balcony level, one of which will be fully accessible, and the balcony lobby bar area will be renovated to increase capacity and better serve patrons.

The Cabot previously unveiled its lobby renovations in May 2021, another large phase of its capital campaign. The reveal had marked The Cabot’s reopening for movies after 14 months of being closed due to the pandemic, and involved a complete restoration of the vaulted ceiling, renovation of its box office and concessions area, and restoration of the original chandelier.


About The Cabot 

For a century, The Cabot in Beverly has been a local treasure, a dream palace at the heart of the downtown, and a welcoming gathering place for generations of North Shore residents. Originally known as The Ware, this opulent, neoclassical-style theater was built in 1920 by the renowned architectural firm Funk & Wilcox. Originally used for vaudeville shows and silent movies, it was later owned by the movie chain E.M. Loews. In 1976, The Cabot was purchased by Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company, and for the next 36 years was home to this world-famous magic show. The Cabot is now being transformed into a 21st century venue for audiences of all ages, with nationally recognized live performers, current and classic movies and community events. Since its reopening in November 2014, The Cabot is once again a vital part of the North Shore’s artistic life. The Cabot celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. Visit https://thecabot.org.


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