Theater renovators discuss experiences during webinar
Doug Spencer of the Friends of St. Marys Theater and Grand Opera House was given a chance Thursday to speak to others in Ohio who are working to restore their own local theaters.
A variety of speakers came together under the umbrella of the Ohio Art’s Council to talk about their own experiences when it came to the restoration of theaters and opera houses in the area. Some, like Michael Hurwitz, have been doing it for years and have helped bring some buildings back from the brink.
“The historic opera houses, again, have been my passion for the last 15 years,” said Hurwitz. He said his passion for historic opera houses and theaters started when he was in university, something that hasn’t left him since. “When you walk in, you realize the history of the entertainment in America is reflected in these old structure, both the theaters and the opera houses.”
Joyce Barrett, a former executive director of Heritage Ohio, can name plenty of theaters throughout the state that have or are receiving specialized help to restore them to good health. She’s very proud to see so many people working to improve their communities by bringing back parts of the old one.
“These theaters have a variety of stories and a variety of geography that all tell different stories,” said Barrett. She was happy to talk about the other theaters that exist within the state. Some have survived over the years as they are, while some have had to be improved due to wear
and tear and the occasional tragedy falling onto it.
Lori Overmyer, executive vice president of Goettler & Associates, has been working with the Ashland Theater since 2019 after it was worked on by some local organizations in 2015, and despite complications from the pandemic, she believes things are going well. She hopes to see her own theater come back and see how it turns out in the long run, especially as it opens in the next couple of years.
“It really had to do with community that recognized that they needed some key fixtures to have a complete restoration,” stated Overmyer. The Ashland location is something she’s put a lot of time in to, and the pandemic hasn’t done much to stop her yet. “Not only a physical restoration, but really a psychological restoration of downtown life and action.”
Others have already made good on their promises, with Adam Shriver working on the Twin City Opera House for more than 16 years now. It hasn’t been an easy process, but they’ve been able to make it a successful venture through cooperation with state organizations.
“We still show movies today,” said Shriver, adding that they have plenty of other acts nowadays too, all of them willing to take the risk of getting on that stage. “We operate Friday through Monday in the evenings and matinees on Sunday, and we have live events in between.”
For many in the group, it was a personal goal. Steve Burnette has been working with theaters for more than 30 years now and returned to Ohio to start managing the Murphy Theater back in 2021, working hard to figure out what he can do to help.
“This has been a really educational experience for me,” Burnette said. The theater is open and he has to take care of a lot of different issues when it comes to its operation. However, the increase in audience has been worth it so far to keep the place alive.
Spencer himself was glad for the opportunity to share his own story to the people there, especially the work that the Friends of St. Marys Theater has done so far. Their goals for opening it up during St. Marys’ bicentennial celebration are still going strong, and he’s looking forward to what they can do still.
“[It’s] not only the revitalization for the theater and opera house, but for downtown St. Marys,” said Spencer. “Our mantra is, ‘One cannot do it alone, but many together can be grand,’ and we have people working together to make this grand from all different aspects of our community.”
Talking about how he came to start the project, as well as all of the meetings, discussions and many other actions that went into it so far. It’s been a hard process, but he’s looking forward to seeing the theater being open again, and hopefully, bringing a lot of people together.
For more information and updates on the Grand Opera House restoration project, feel free to visit their website at GrandOperaHouseLive.com.
Donations can either be put in online or mailed to PO Box 382, St. Marys, OH, 45885.
A recording of the webinar will be available on May 9 at OAC. Ohio.gov/webinars, or on the OAC YouTube channel for those interested in the other theaters and their histories.