​Cheers to 100 years of the Fargo Theatre

By Sabrina Hornung

There's a certain kind of magic to the Fargo Theatre. It’s a place to escape to for the small fee of the price of admission. It's a place of shared communal joy (or any other kind of shared emotion for that matter), which almost feels rare these days, in the era of “Netflix and chill.”

There’s a rich history that's housed within those theatre walls. It managed to persist through the vaudeville era, onto the silent era, then evolved to accommodate the “talkies” (film with sound). In an era embracing multiplexes, it managed to escape the wrecking ball, emerging like a neon phoenix. If that wasn’t remarkable enough, it managed to transition into the digital era which could have had a “make or break” effect.

It all takes vision. And it takes community effort. And it proves that change and upgrades are inevitable.

March 15, 2026 marks 100 years of the Fargo Theatre. There’s a lot to celebrate. There’s a cool new documentary debuting at this year’s Fargo Film Festival called “Fargo Theatre: The First 100 Years.” Plus, the theater has been undergoing a $1.5 million dollar remodel which includes new seats, new carpets, fresh paint on everything, and new flooring in the main auditorium. But this is just phase one.

A film to celebrate a milestone

“Fargo Theatre: The First 100 Years” was directed by Mike Scholtz and filmed by Tucker Lucas. It serves as a love letter to the Fargo Theatre.

“I love it,” said Emily Beck, Fargo Theatre executive director. “I watched it, I was crying, and I was just like — this is perfect. It feels like us, you know? There's a sweetness and a humor. And you can feel the love.”

There were a number of short interviews in the documentary featuring past and present staff, filmmakers, volunteers and board members. Concordia professor, filmmaker, and Fargo Theatre historian Greg Carlson, director Mike Scholtz, Emily Beck and a couple current board members started to make a list of people to consider for interviews.

“We felt really humbled when we started compiling that list, because there's just been so many people through the years that have contributed in meaningful ways and should be represented in that film.,” said Beck. “And we knew we'd never be able to get everybody, but we did our very best.”

The documentary delved into the theatre’s history giving the public a close up view of the infamous Wurlitzer organ, explaining how the Red River Theatre Organ Society essentially saved The Fargo Theatre and other key players who advocated for the theatre. It also gave viewers an up close look at some of the artifacts that aided in telling the theatre’s story.

The documentary mentions that over 3,000 school children come through the theatre for field trips throughout the year. They’re amazed that the cost of admission was once a dime. Sometimes Beck will do a theatre organ demonstration and the kids love the sound effects. If they’re really lucky, they get to catch a silent film featuring the silent screen icon Buster Keaton.

“Sometimes we'll get younger school groups, and then there'll be a whole portion of them that have never seen a movie in a theater before,” she explains. “So they've never had that collective movie going experience where you're with a crowd that's all laughing or cheering or gasping — you know when there's a portion in that movie where a train runs through a house on the tracks and everyone gasps. So my hope is that it piques their interest, and they can see the value in it and then hopefully keep going to movie theaters.”

Now what’s this about a remodel?

“In 2024 the board and I engaged JLG architects to lead this massive review of the Fargo Theatre’s facility,” Beck said. “So they brought in experts to check everything — our plumbing, electrical, mechanical system, they brought in a structural engineer and other architects, and we did this massive assessment of the theater, and they compiled this master plan of projects that would be necessary (or nice) to keep the theater thriving for the next 100 years.”

She went on to say that in this assessment, they agreed that the building is in “pretty good shape” for its age. But there are definitely additional facility projects that have to get done, including upgrades to production equipment.

Emily has served as Executive Director since August 2008. In that time, she’s seen the new renovation, the addition of Theatre 2 and helped the theatre officially usher in the digital era.

“I have really, really fond memories, seeing the Fargo Film Festival expand in real time with the addition of Theatre 2,” Beck said. “The addition has been helpful across the board, right? It allows us to show more movies and do more events on a regular basis, and I really can't overestimate the impact it's had with the Fargo Film Festival. It's been particularly rewarding and has led to direct expansion of the number of films, the number of artists we're able to bring in, the type of talkbacks or workshops we're able to offer.”

When asked about the theatre’s transition to digital, she said, “It was just kind of an industry necessity. Everybody, from distributors to our booker, was pushing us very hard. I knew that it was a necessity. The only thing that was kind of up in the air is how long we actually had to make the transition before we couldn't get movies anymore.”

Parties to celebrate the centennial

There will be a weekend-long celebration for the theatre’s centennial. On Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m., a Roaring 20s Soiree will be held at the Synclaire (613 1st Ave N. in Fargo). Guests will celebrate in style with hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, games, birthday cake and a cash bar onsite.

March 15 at 2 p.m. is the theatre’s official 100th birthday party at the Fargo Theatre. It features live performances, documentary premiere and a short silent film with a live score to celebrate the past, present and future of the theatre.

Connect with High Plains Reader Editor Sabrina Hornung by emailing sabrina@hpr1.com.