To experience something new and entertaining in Dixon, audiences need only to step into something old.

In a venue where the past and the present are co-stars, The Dixon Historic Theatre offer a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Movies and music, stage shows and storytelling, tribute acts and traveling shows — the historic building in the heart of downtown Dixon brings a lot to the stage.

Less than a mile from Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home, what began as an opera house and vaudeville venue when it opened in 1922 still stands today, now offering a variety of entertainment options that people of all ages can enjoy. The historical heartbeat of Dixon’s cultural scene, the theater is a grand and glittering testament to the town’s artistic spirit. Its distinctive Art Deco charm, renowned acoustics, and nearly 1,000-seat capacity have helped make it a destination for both locals and visitors alike.

Executive director Spencer Aurand grew up around Dixon’s arts culture, and has brought his experiences to his role at the theater since taking charge in March, coming over from Dixon Stage Left, another of Dixon’s performing arts venues.

“The building itself is pretty special,” Aurand said. “We have a lot of traveling artists who come through and say this place is amazing, and the sound is really good. It was designed to sound really good, so that musicians and artists could sit on stage and play and not even need amplification. Now we do very different performances than they did back then, where now we’re doing a lot of tribute and rock shows where they want it to be really loud and amplified, and we can do that.”

Aurand is proud of the theater’s acoustics, and has talked with many artists who’ve performed there who said the theater is the best they’ve sounded in months, adding that some want to return because of that.

The theater seating is spread throughout lower and upper sections, with private boxes along the edge of the upper section. No “nosebleed sections” here — even the back row seating is just 75 feet from the stage.

“People who think we’re a lot bigger than what we actually are will probably think that if they get tickets [to a concert] in the back that they’re not going to have a good experience,” Aurand said, but “you’re going to be closer than probably 99% of the people who will see that band on tour in bigger venues and be 50 or 60 yards away with seats that are three times as expensive as our front row.”

The theater also features concession stands just outside the seating area where patrons can grab a drink, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Dixon’s performing arts story began with the Dixon Opera House, built in 1876 to meet the growing community’s demand for live entertainment. After two devastating fires, local theater owner Leonard G. Rorer rebuilt the venue in grand style, opening the current building in 1922 as one of the most elegant, and what as then state-of-the-art, show houses between Chicago and Des Moines. The theater quickly became a regional attraction for vaudeville acts, opera stars and early motion pictures. Rorer’s name is laid out in terrazzo on the front vestibule floor.

As the decades passed, the theater evolved alongside the entertainment world and hosted Hollywood premieres, including one featuring Dixon native and future president Ronald Reagan, before transitioning primarily into a movie house in the 1950s. In 1984, competition from modern cinemas forced its closure, but a group of community volunteers revived it the following year, transforming it once again into a live performance venue. The 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2022, and renovations were made in 2024 to restore and remodel it to make it look nearly like it did when it opened in 1922.

“One of the things that really makes it special is the building itself,” Aurand said. “There aren’t a lot of old, 1920s Vaudeville houses left; a lot of them got knocked down, burned down or replaced or renovated into other things. There was a period of time when this place could have taken a very different direction and wound up not being a performance space at all.”

That kind of diversity, Aurand said, is made possible not just by community enthusiasm. Dixon’s central location — roughly halfway between the major Midwest hubs of Chicago, Rockford, Peoria and the Quad Cities — makes it a natural stop for touring acts on their way between large markets. In the past year alone, the theater has attracted artists who might otherwise bypass smaller towns.

“Where Dixon is at positions us very well for any traveling groups that are in Chicago, or somewhere in Indiana that are traveling through, going to either Iowa or St. Louis,” Aurand said. “It’s a really, really good position for them to stop over and do a pickup date and then keep on going. We’re in a great position to have Thursday night or Sunday shows for bands. It’s fantastic for us and for our audiences to see national or even global artists that are just happening to be passing through.”

What makes the theater stand apart, Aurand said, goes beyond just the bookings or location. From restored Art Deco details to the soft glow of the house lights before a show, the theater offers an experience that feels both intimate and grand.

“When you walk into that space, you get that first impression, like meeting a person for the first time, and an entertainment venue is just like that,” Aurand said. “It sets the mood for how you’re going to experience everything going forward. We want them to lean into the historic, beautiful feeling of the building, and the classic, theatricalness of it. When people walk in, the first feeling they have is, ‘Wow!’ They’re in awe of how gorgeous it looks and how special it is. They can come in here and feel like they’re at a venue in Chicago when they’re actually in downtown Dixon.”

The Dixon Historic Theatre’s spring season brings an eclectic mix of music, comedy, theater, and family fun to its stage. Tickets are available online and at the box office at the theater. Click here for more information about the upcoming season.