[1][2][3][4] The Beacham Theatre was considered an important contributing structure when the Downtown Orlando historic district was created in 1980 and the building was granted local landmark status in 1987.

[5] The Beacham was once part of the vaudeville circuit and hosted celebrity acts such as John Philip Sousa, the Ziegfeld Follies and W.C. Fields, whose signature was once visible inside a dressing room.

[5] In 1917 Beacham paid approximately $17,500–$20,000 for the property one block southwest of his stately residence on Jefferson Street after Orlando's citizens voted to pave the road to the cemetery instead of purchasing the old jail.

[16][23][24] On December 9, 1921, Orlando's premier vaudeville and movie house opened by showing The Wonderful Thing, starring Norma Talmadge, a Pathé News newsreel, and Buster Keaton's The Boat.

"[26] Frank Bell served as manager of the theater with organist Herman Siewart and Ken Guernsey leading the community sing-along at open forum meetings that were held for several months during the winter on Sunday afternoons.

[22] The Beacham's "exploitation director" Frank H. Burns often designed and created large elaborate standing displays that decorated the facade and lobby of the theater to advertise new film features.

When a Santa Claus from the Elks Lodge lifted one young elf into the audience for the last verse, the smell of bourbon whiskey caused her to ponder, "I wasn't just sure where the night's polka would land us.

During the Civil Rights Movement, the Beacham Theatre had frequent stand-in protests by African American citizens of relegation to lesser "colored theaters" mandated by Jim Crow laws such as the Florida Constitution of 1885.

Two Norelco Universal 70/35mm Motion Picture Projectors and a small restroom for the projectionist were installed in a newly built downstairs projection booth under the balcony that required the removal of two aisles and several seats.

[13] The next year, H. A. Tedder, who was the Orlando executive manager at long-time lessee Florida State Theaters, made the decision that The Beacham Theatre would cease operating as a first-run movie cinema.

[13] After showing a Sunday double-feature of Return of the Street Fighter, and The Scavengers, the Beacham Theatre's manager, McKinley Howard, closed the theater's doors as a first-run film cinema for the last time on September 28, 1975.

[18][47] Several of Lisa's cousins relocated to Orlando to help out with the task of preparing the Beacham for its opening and Brad's mother Bev tended the bar through the entire duration of the lease.

The Bellettos also hosted an annual full-service Christmas dinner for hundreds of the city's homeless population at the Beacham Theatre with food donated by Orlando's high-end restaurants and businesses.

[46] In May 1989 the Beacham Theatre was sold by Oscar Juarez for $1.8 million to a property management firm owned by Longwood businesswoman Missy Casscells and her husband Frank Hamby.

"[46] The late nights at the Beacham featured DJs, beat matching, rare and obscure dance music on vinyl records, intelligent lighting, and themed decor that at times included original paintings by local artist Rollo.

The various themes subsequently included World War III, Aahz, Trancentral, The Haunted Theatre, Egypt, Alphabet City, Psychedelic Babylon, Unity, and Reunion.

Shayni and her team created Aahz's iconic décor which included a painted yellow brick road and a giant paper mache Wizard of Oz head behind the stage.

[50] At midnight each night, DJ Lisa typically played Rhythm Device's Acid Rock, at which point the stage's curtain was raised and the glowing eyes and smoking mouth of the Wizard were revealed.

[52][53][55][57][58][50][59][60][61][62][63][64] The use of psychedelic drugs such as ecstasy and LSD at the Beacham Theatre during the late 1980s and early 1990s was prevalent and eventually began to attract the attention of law enforcement agencies.

After "warnings" about increased surveillance of the Beacham that allegedly came from the Drug Enforcement Administration, additional security, pat-downs, new restrictions on reentering, attire, and the behavior for patrons were implemented.

Once, during the early 1990s, "Late Night" was raided by masked agents of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation who temporarily stopped the music and turned on the lights while they searched for and detained a suspect.

[65] The early mornings at the Beacham Theatre kick started Orlando's own Summer of Love between 1991 and 1992 that helped usher in the increased popularity of the subculture surrounding electronic dance music in Florida and subsequently in the United States.

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough, who performed his first musical at the Beacham as one of the Munchkins in the Lollipop Guild for a theatre production of The Wizard of Oz, was a design and talent acquisition advisor for Tabu.

The second story of the theater contained restrooms, windowed offices, a projection booth, and balcony seating section as well as additional dressing rooms accessible by a spiral staircase.

[86][87] Vaudeville acts that have performed at the Beacham Theatre include the Ziegfeld Follies, John Philip Sousa, W.C. Fields, Irving Berlin's Music Box Revue, Frieda Hempel, Theda Bara, Irving Caesar's The Greenwich Village Follies of 1922, organist "Professor" Herman Siewert, Keith's Vaudeville Company, ventriloquist Marshall Montgomery, Flo Ziegfeld's Sally, Gertrude Hoffmann Dancers, Artists and Models Super Revue of 1924, The Cloverleaf Dancers, The Elks Minstrels, "Fay, Lane, & Barry;" "Fay Two Colleys;" and gymnasts The Kramer Brothers.

[88] Classic rock era acts such as The Police, The Pretenders, Rick Derringer, Pat Travers Band, Al Stewart, Dickey Betts, Head East, Sea Level, Utopia, Horslips, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dave Brubeck, Todd Rundgren, Bill Warheit, Michael Hedges, Earl Scruggs, José Feliciano, Lyle Lovett, Root Boy Slim, Stray Cats,[89] The Damned,[89] and the Ramones have performed at the Beacham.

In more recent years Ministry, KMFDM, Fugazi, Revolting Cocks, Devo, Book of Love, Go Radio, Tori Amos, Soundgarden, The Pixies, Good Charlotte, Pink, Lush, David Byrne, Fishbone, The Cramps, Flat Duo Jets, L.A.

Guns, G. Love & Special Sauce, and The Claypool Lennon Delirium as well as notable DJ acts Razor and Guido, Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Dave Seaman and Dynamix II and many others have played at the Beacham.

The Beacham website offers the following synopsis:[96]Downtown's notorious venue has entertained Orlando for almost 100 years, with a diverse history from vaudeville, to cinema and epic concert events.

In the last four decades, various superstars have graced this Orange Avenue venue's mammoth stage including but not limited to 50 Cent, Lauryn Hill, Ice Cube, 2 Chainz, Wale, Trina, Juvenile, French Montana, Meek Mill, Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Flame, J. Cole, Trick Daddy, DJ Khaled, and Flo Rida.