Thank you to everyone who made Indianapolis 2026 a Great Success!
With 412 attendees from across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, LHAT's SOLD OUT 2026 National Conference was the largest in LHAT's 50 year history and an overwhelming success! Represented were 286 historic theatre owners, operators, volunteers and aficionados, along with 118 service providers and suppliers who are experts in our field.
In the heart of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, the League offered four days of professional development, networking, theatre tours and more. More than 36 hours of Tools & Techniques Sessions highlighted best practices in historic theatre operations, film programming, fundraising, marketing, renovation, restoration, and accessibility. An additional three hours were devoted to facilitated networking sessions which were broken into groups based on theatre types and budgets, plus different topics attendees said were top of mind at their theatres.
More than 100 attendees kicked off the conference on the ever-popular Pre-Conference Historic Theatre Ramble, visiting five theatres -- the Paramount in Anderson, the Artcraft in Franklin, and the Basile at the Athenaeum, Rivoli and the Scottish Rite Cathedral Theatres in Indianapolis. During the conference, attendees were treated to tours of Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT), and, thanks to the Indianapolis Symphony, the Hilbert Circle Theatre.
Attendees celebrated excellence in the field at the 2026 Awards Ceremony(click here to read about the winners and 47 exhibitors shared their products, services and expertise at the annual Meet the Service Providers EXPO. Attendees also met, mingled and networked during multiple networking and social events.
The League also celebrated its 50th Anniversary, honoring one of its founders, Robert Stoddard, and toasting to the first and next 50 years of the invaluable network we have all which that is dedicated to sustaining America's historic theatres for the benefit of their communities and future generations.
Congratulations to the recipients of two $5,000 grants made available through a generous donation from Mills + Schnoering Architects to be used for members theatres to support ADA improvements in their venues. The winners were announced during the Welcome Dinner:
- Theatre Budget Under $1 Million: Vermilion Heritage Foundation / Fischer Theatre, Danville, IL, for backstage accessibility additions.
- Theatre Budget Over $1 Million: Frauenthal Center, Muskegon, MI, for digital accessibility and a WCAG 2.2 compliance remediation project.
Special thanks to all of our National Partners and 2026 Conference Sponsors, plus our theatre tour and other local hosts. Because of their generous support, the LHAT National Conference continues to be the largest and most important gathering specifically designed for historic theatre professionals in the nation!
LHAT CEO Ken Stein presents award to LHAT Founder, Robert Stoddard,
with his wife, Judy. Photo by Don Telford.