About

The original building was built in 1919 as the Binghamton Theatre and hosted vaudeville acts and silent movies. Due to the introduction of movies with sound and the negative effects of the Depression, the Binghamton Theatre closed in 1931. In 1946, the facility was refurbished and reopened as a movie theatre; however, it closed again in 1951. Then, in 1960, the building was once more thoroughly renovated and opened as the Capri Theatre. The Capri closed in 1973.

Shortly thereafter, a local nonprofit group, the Tri-Cities Opera Workshop, organized to develop the Capri into a performing arts theatre. Since it was well-recognized that the theatre would require an annual subsidy of tax dollars in order to survive, the group intended to renovate the facility and then turn it over to Broome County Government for operation. On September 16, 1975, the Broome County Legislature passed a resolution to accept the gift of the Capri, and to run it as a performing arts theatre. The final dedication ceremony took place on September 26, 1975, and the venue was named the Forum Theatre.