 The NorVa was the brainchild of local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel, who have also developed the NTelos Wireless Pavilion and have ties to the development of Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach.In 2014, the NorVa was acquired by Anschutz Entertainment Group.The original NorVa Theater opened in 1922 as a 2000-seat motion picture and live entertainment (vaudeville) theater.