The Big Ditch

The Acme Theatre

The Acme was located in Downtown Goldsboro and became a popular place for local entertainment, going from tiny advertisements to half-page spreads in the paper in the span of about 15 years. During its operation, the Acme Theatre earned the title of a “variety theatre” in every sense, with various genres of entertainment, multiple owners, and even more than one location. One thing has remained constant in the Acme’s history, though, and that’s the family that managed the theatre.

The theatre was managed by Estelle Phillips according to the 1911-1912 Goldsboro city directory. She was married to a contractor, Robert Hoke Phillips, who later got involved in the theatre business. Estelle’s son, Paul Vernon Phillips, who was about 22 at the time, was a clerk there in 1914. Theatre life at the Acme seemed to be a brief endeavor for Paul, since he was no longer listed in association with Acme after 1915. Her daughter, Ethel Gertrude Phillips and her husband, Hezekiah Rudolph Mason, both became managers of the Acme years later. Hezekiah, who went by Rudolph, will go on to become the face of the Acme for the remainder of its time.

Rudolph Mason was the president of Mason Industrial Motion Picture Company, making him the first person to open a moving picture house in Goldsboro. In 1916, he opened “The New Acme” and the Argus sang its praises, writing, “Its capacity is commodious; its proportions are most graceful; its furnishings are comfortable; its equipment is modern in every feature”.

In the same year, Ethel Gertrude Mason was the manager of the Acme while her father opened the Rex Theatre on Chestnut Street around the same time. This year marked a new era for the Acme, with it being deemed the “handsomest picture house in the state”. Following the success of the new theatre’s opening, Rudolph Mason and Robert H. Phillips began to co-manage both the Acme Theatre and the Rex Theatre by 1920.

Prior to the opening of the Rex Theatre, the Acme was advertising film showings, but it seems that later down the line the Rex took over motion pictures and the Acme was reserved for live entertainment, deemed “high-class attractions”. At the theatre, one could find comedy shows, mysteries, thrillers, dance, music, and more. The Acme also hosted minstrel shows, which featured white actors in blackface meant to portray the harmful racial stereotypes of African Americans. Today, we condemn this practice, but it was a popular form of entertainment that generated ticket sales at the time.

In 1926, Robert H. Phillips passed, and the Acme Theatre was never listed in the city directory again. Despite the loss of a business partner and father, Rudolph and Ethel Gertrude Mason continued in the theatre business as co-owners of the Mason Theatre for moving pictures. While the Acme lost its title as a “variety theatre”, it remains on Center Street after being restored in 2012 to serve as a performing arts rehearsal studio. Next time you visit Downtown Goldsboro, be sure to check out what was once the source of so much entertainment for the people and visitors of Wayne County.