4. It Was Saved by a Local Dance Teacher
By the early 2000s, after changing hands multiple times and undergoing a handful of failed reinventions, the St. George Theatre was on the brink of being lost forever. A local dance school owner and beloved member of the community, Rosemary Cappozalo, known as Mrs. Rosemary, wouldn’t let that happen. Along with her daughters Luanne Sorrentino, and Doreen Cugno, Mrs. Rosemary founded a not-for-profit to save the building from the wrecking ball.
Mrs. Rosemary invested her life savings, over one million dollars, and countless hours of her time into making the St. George shine again. When the Cappozalos acquired the theater, there was no electrical power, no plumbing, no orchestra seats, no stage lighting or sound system and there were holes everywhere from the stage to the ceilings. The theater had been closed since 1978 and was reopened by the Cappozalos in 2004. Renovations and restoration are still ongoing, with the outer lobby currently undergoing work, which includes new front doors, marble flooring restoration, paint and plaster renovation, box office enhancements and more. The lower lobby is being transformed into a member’s lounge.
The latest addition to the theater is the flashy LED- marquee out front which was added during a $5.2 million summer renovation in 2017.
