Free Backstage Tour of Seattle's 1928 Paramount

The Paramount opened on March 1, 1928 as the Seattle Theatre and still runs as a live house after a 1995 restoration. Volunteer guides from Seattle Theatre Group lead the free tour on the first Saturday of every month at 10 AM. The event page gives 10 AM to noon, about 120 minutes, and the sign-up form says about 2.5 hours. Set aside two and a half hours so the last rooms are not rushed. The route follows what the building allows that morning, and the dressing rooms, green room and backstage spaces open only when that day's performance schedule permits.

The lobby has 218 chandeliers and light fixtures holding more than three million crystal beads. The floor, built in Italy, can be lifted out to make a ballroom. The building dates from 1928 and has no elevator, so the tour walks between floors on stairs. If stairs are a problem, email accessibility@stgpresents.org before you book and ask what the theatre can arrange. After the tour, guides offer a separate 30-minute visit to the Archive, Gallery and Museum on the Tower's fourth floor. Tick Library tour, Yes, on the form, and ask when you book whether that half hour sits inside the 2.5 hours.

Reserve a free place through the theatre's online form. One form covers up to four guests, and children must be eight or older because the route passes through a working building with hazards. Meet in front of the main entrance at 9th and Pine by 10 AM. Link light rail stops at Westlake Station, and the walk east along Pine Street is uphill and takes about ten minutes. The group also runs the Moore on second Saturdays and the Neptune on third Saturdays.