ZEITERION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center is a historic theater at 684 Purchase Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts, with approximately 1,250 seats. The building was designed by Frank Leary and Frank Walker in a Georgian Revival style adaptation and features Neoclassical interior elements including restored murals.

The Zeiterion hosts live music, comedy, dance, touring Broadway productions, children's programming, and community events. The theater serves as a cultural anchor for downtown New Bedford and the surrounding SouthCoast region. Programming spans national touring acts and regional performers.

The theater opened on April 2, 1923, envisioned by Barney Zeitz and his brothers as a vaudeville palace. By September 1923 it was renamed The State and shifted to film. Five world premieres were held there, including the 1956 opening of "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck in attendance. After facing demolition in the 1980s, it was donated to the Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE) and restored. The Zeiterion reopened in January 2026 following a $37 million renovation.