The Saenger Theatre can be rented for company presentations, conferences, award ceremonies, concerts and other performances for up to 1,641 seated guests. It also has 3,000 square feet of meeting room space for smaller sessions or breakouts. The theater stands at 118 South Palafox Place in downtown Pensacola, Florida.
Seminars and company events
The auditorium suits a general session, a product launch or a company show where everyone needs a clear view of the stage. Seating runs over an orchestra level and a balcony with loges. The two front rows sit on a pit lift that can be raised to stage level or lowered to form an orchestra pit, which gives some flexibility in the stage layout.
For working sessions, the meeting rooms rent in blocks of 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 square feet, for up to four hours, with a standard set of tables and chairs. They can be booked alongside the theater, for a registration area, a breakout or a reception before the main session.
The venue rents equipment on request: an in-house sound system, large and small projectors, wired and wireless microphones, follow spots, risers, pipe and drape, tables and linens, an orchestra shell and livestreaming. The 1925 pipe organ can also be booked. The theater staff give production support to each rental.
To hold dates, organizers complete the venue's License for Use application. The theater can also promote a ticketed event through its website, social media, lobby screens and poster spots.
Weddings and receptions
The theater does not sell wedding packages. Private receptions are possible as part of a theater rental; ask the staff about which spaces can be used.
Rooms and capacities
The auditorium seats 1,641. The meeting room space totals 3,000 square feet and is offered in three sizes. The Palafox and Intendencia lobbies receive guests before a show. On the second floor, the Green Room Lounge is a private lounge with its own bar, used for VIP access during performances.
Catering
Bars in the lobbies serve beer, wine, mixed drinks, soft drinks and snacks at most performances. The theater does not publish a caterer policy for private rentals, so confirm food arrangements when you apply.
History and setting
The Saenger opened in 1925 for vaudeville and silent films, as part of a chain of Southeastern theaters that served performers traveling by train. It closed in 1975, was given to the City of Pensacola in 1976 and was saved from demolition by a citizens' group that became the Friends of the Saenger. It reopened in 1981 with a concert by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. A Grand Lobby was added on Palafox Place in 1995, and a large restoration and expansion in 2009 brought back the original paint and décor. The Robert Morton pipe organ, installed in 1925, was restored in 2014.
The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is home to the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Pensacola, Pensacola Opera and the Pensacola Children's Chorus, and hosts touring Broadway shows. Lucille Ball, Bob Hope and Itzhak Perlman are among the artists who have appeared here.
Getting there
The Saenger has no parking lot of its own. The Jefferson Street and Intendencia Street parking garages are a short walk away. Drop-off points are in front of the theater on Palafox Place and at the foot of the wheelchair ramp on Intendencia Street. Accessible seating is available on the orchestra level and in the balcony loges. Security screening applies at the entrances for most events.
