The Rialto Theater (originally the New Lyric Theater)[2] is a former movie theater in Casper, Wyoming built in 1921. It was constructed with 800 seats by Henry Brennan, who had a successful Vaudeville house, on which he based the new cinema.[3] He sold the building in 1922 to E.J. Schulte, a Schulte invested $50,000 in a remodeling project designed by Casper architects William Dubois and Leon Goodrich. The reopening featured the William C. deMille movie Nice People, a silent film that was accompanied by the Chicago Netto Ladies Orchestra. In 1928, the Rialto began to show talkies.[2] The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1]
The Rialto measures 50 feet (15 m) by 100 feet (30 m) on a prominent corner site. The brick facade is plain in form but the brickwork is extensively detailed. A tall neon sign marks the corner, replacing the original metal sign, and a marquee was added, covering the original leaded glass transoms over the storefronts. A tall parapet adds to the apparent mass of the theater. Storefronts on both frontages house retail shops. On the interior, a balcony is reached by two curving stairs on either side of the lobby, replacing a single grand stair from the first design.[2]
The Rialto was sold in 2023 and re-opened as an event venue in the summer of 2024.[4] It hosts ticketed and private events with a focus on stand-up comedy, music, and family-friendly events. Current ownership is marketing the venue in a partnership with the other downtown venues, including the America theater, which is expected to re-open in 2025.[5]
Media related to Rialto Theatre (Casper, Wyoming) at Wikimedia Commons
