In October of 1910, Penn Yan’s Sampson Theatre opened to a packed house with a spirited political speech by Theodore Roosevelt and a moving performance by the Keuka College Glee Club. For the next 20 years, live performances of vaudeville, Broadway plays, minstrel shows, burlesque and locally staged shows entertained enthusiastic audiences. It was the place to go for “date night,” and the entertainment center for the town and county. Then it closed.

In 2004, the Trombley family generously donated the theatre building to the Pennsylvania Yankee Theater Company (PYTCo). The Sampson Theatre Advisory Committee, an ad hoc committee appointed by the PYTCo Board, has been charged with the Sampson renovation project. The committee is comprised of volunteers, community members who are interested in the advancement of theater, the arts and the renovation of the theatre, with the goal of returning the Sampson to its former place as the center of the performing arts in Penn Yan and Yates County. The Board welcomes all members of the community to join in this dream and help make it a reality.

The spring of 2009 has brought the great news that the Sampson Theatre is on the National Register of Historic Places. Listing here recognizes that the theatre is worthy of preservation and is an exciting step towards our renovation.