Giselle Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Burlington

Flynn Center for the Performing Arts takes us back to where the floodlights danced above Burlington when Vermont's newest and largest "entertainment palace" inaugurated on Wednesday, November 26, 1930. It was a state-of-the-art facility meant for enjoying both touring stars of vaudeville and motion pictures. This new entertainment complex was built at the cost of $500,000 by John J. Flynn and investors in the Queen City Realty Company.

After nearly a decade later, Flynn was securely established. It was well-loved and highly attended by the community. The Flynn was the major gathering place for the community during the wars. While during the postwar years, American culture and entertainment were rapidly changing. This fluctuating nature hit many theaters hard, and Flynn was one of them, abandoned by the 70s. Fortunately, a visionary group of Burlington community leaders saved the venue, and the Flynn was acquired by Merrill Jarvis of the Merrill Theater Corporation in 1972.

The live performances were back after many years, and in 1974, Lyric's debut production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ran at the venue. The current Flynn Theatre for the Performing Arts was founded in 1980 by Lyric Theatre. Since then, the venue has been at the center of Vermont's cultural landscape. On an annual basis, around 200,000 people attend performances on the Main Stage. On the other hand, an average of 35,000 young people attends more than 30 performances in FlynnSpace annually.