TOWER COMPLEX
TOWER THEATRE’S NEW OPERATORS DISCUSS PATH TO REOPENING, REVEAL CONCERT SERIES
Tower Theatre's doors are closed again but not sealed shut.
Three new operators stepped forward Friday and announced fresh plans for the Oklahoma City venue, which stands tall and shines brightly in the highly trafficked Uptown 23rd district.
Stephen Tyler, Chad Whitehead and Jabee Williams are the new faces of the Tower Theatre and will collaborate with Pivot Project members on reopening the historic metro landmark. Former Tower operator Levelland Productions' 15-year
lease on the venue was drawn a year ago, but the first shows weren’t booked until February.
The Oklahoman reported the split between Levelland and Pivot Project on March 25. The new operators had a lot to say about theradical reorganization at425 NW 23rd St.
“I completely believe in what is happening in this neighborhood and what it can become,” Whitehead told The Oklahoman in an exclusive interview. “The Tower really becomes the focal piece if it’s running properly with events two or three nights a week, and it’ll take some time to ramp up to that.
“We think that it can be a huge piece of the neighborhood becoming even more of the entertainment district of Oklahoma City than it already is with restaurants and bars.”
Although marquee events inside of the Tower Theatre’s large concert hall won’t be happening until much later, Tyler and Whitehead shared plans fora new Tower Theatre StudioConcert Series. The listening roomstyle performances feature national touring acts Robert Ellis, David Ramirez, Matthew Logan Vasquez, Propaganda, and Murs and Trishes, along withOkie artists Travis Linville and Beau Jennings.
Concerts begin May 5 and run weekly through June 29.
“The vision I’d always had (for my office) was hosting intimate, small concerts in there,” Tyler said. “As we started undergoing this project, we didn’t want to wait tobring talent and expose people to the building. So, it made sense to push that forward and outfit the room even further to accommodate the concert series.”
Each concert will feature an interview portion led by Okie talent before a set. Tickets are $20 for each performance and can be found at www.towertheatreokc. com.
“Our goal is to start that introduction of the city to us, how we operate and the taste level of theartists we reach out to,” Tyler added.
Although the shows won’t be in the Tower Theatre’s concert hall, they will be the first scheduledsince Horse Thief’s and Jabee’s headlining sets earlier this year. There’s a lot of work to be done before another grand reopening after further renovations. Think of the studioconcert series as an appetizer. It’s a taste of the much bigger events getting planned for thenot too distant future, operators said.
Tyler and Whitehead sat down with The Oklahoman to discuss their vision and what it’ll take to move the fickle, complex venue forward.
Back to the start
A few years ago, Tyler and Whitehead remembered they weren’t Uptown 23rd’s biggest fans. Sure, they knew Oklahoma City was growing and there were some nearby beacons of food culture, including Big Truck Tacos and Cuppies & Joe, but they largely avoided the area until more recently.
Tyler now offices in the Tower Theatre and jumped at the opportunity to work there. He called himself the building’s first active tenant and transformedan empty white room into a cozy production studio, complete with original artwork and sound panels.
“I think that really goes to show the potential of where (the district) can go,” Tyler said. “In two years, (Uptown)went from you don’t wanna be here after dark to the only place you want to go after dark because of the night life. Imagine what’s going to happen in two more years. Or five years . ... I think (Tower Theatre) will propel the district into a place that I’m excited to see.”
Tyler has always been a tech enthusiast. He’s the guy you call when you buy a 100-foot Ferris wheel and need someone to handle the lighting design. He’s also the same person who’s readily available toproject an enormous Woody Guthrie illustration onto the Oklahoma Capitol.
“I’ve been a tenant here almost a year,” Tyler said in his Tower studio office. “I’ve gotten to know the Pivot Project guys really well. When I started to hear what was going on, that’s when I started to go to them and say, ‘Man, (Tower)really should be doing this. This is really the direction it should be going.’ “
Tyler’s ideas turned into conversations with Whitehead. When Levelland Productions officially exited operations of the Tower Theatre in March, the duo sat down and made a 40-plus page manual of how they’d operate the venue. Both operators presented to Pivot Project, which includes David Wanzer, Ben Sellers and Jonathan Dodson.
“When we put it in front of the Pivot Project guys, they said ‘You literally read our minds.’ ... They came out of the previous arrangement with this desire, ‘We can’t sit by anymore. We can’t stand on the sidelines and just lease it to someone and hope that person goes where we want it to go . ... You guys seem to have that same idea and vision so let’s all get together and make sure this thing goes where it’s supposed to go.’ “
The new operators are looking to book movie screenings, comedy performances, concerts and even podcast recordings to the mix.
“Pivot Project’s vision for this space, we found out pretty quickly, was what everybody wants it to be,” Tyler said. “Everybody wants it to be a hub, whether that’s live music, local events ...or whether it’s honoring the history of this place, which is film.”
The building’s historic run as afilm house also presents a major renovation challenge.
“It was never set up for live music,” Tyler said. “The stage is only a stage in the sense that it’s a platform where the projector screen was or where the sound might’ve been. When it comes to live music, you need a backstage, green room other support systems in place that just didn’t exist.”
Better together
Tyler first met Whitehead digitally. Via Twitter, they realized they’d attended the same events together but never formally met until about a year ago.
Tyler has the audio and technological experience but wanted to include another passionate helping hand. Whitehead has experience promoting concerts and running a now defunctvenue in Salt Lake City.
“I want the person taking the ticket at the Tower Theatre to have as much fun as our guest, who has as much fun as the artist,” Whitehead said. “The city wins when everyone has a great night. I think that, more than anything else, is what unifies Stephen and me. I don’t care if you’re a rock star. Your weight is equal to our guest’s and to mine. I wanna find a mutually agreeable event that everyone walks away from and says, ‘I can’t wait to do that again. That was so much fun.’
“And that’s what we’ve been unified about from the very beginning.”
Rapper and Oklahoma fixture Jabee Williams alsojoins the mix of new operators.
“I love this city and music, too. So when Pivot approached me about joining the Tower team, I had to join in,” Jabee shared in a statement. “The community needs the Tower to be successful, and I’m excited for the chance to play my part.”
Whitehead said nobody represents Oklahoma City as intensely as Jabee.
“We needed his credibility as a citizen and as an artist to be a part of the Tower Theatre,” Whitehead added.
Together, the trio and the Pivot Projectare looking to make new history with the venue.
“We feel a great pressure because this is a historic theater,” Whitehead said. “She deserves to be treated with grandeur. We feel a great pressure because we love this city and this neighborhood is where we live. We feel a great pressure because we love music.”