Day 21

The Lobby

The theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental.

It's so much like life.

——Arthur Miller

There’s been so much to do every day that I haven’t really come up for air, but I have a moment today, so here is an update!

The lobby has seen better days. I’ve been avoiding this whole area of the building because every time I come over to this side, I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack.

We’ve made a lot of progress! This is what it looked like a few weeks ago.

You can see that the lobby decoration is not original from 1873, but it’s still in pretty good shape. I believe it’s from the early 1920s, which is when renovations turned the opera house into a movie theater.

I don’t know what the original lobby looked like, but this version is very Art Deco. You can’t read the signs, but they say “concessions” over the counter, “auditorium” over the entrance to the theatre, and “tickets” above the small window on the right.

A few more photos before the clean-up.

I can’t tell you how helpful the local high school has been. Mr. Tash, the drama teacher, was kind enough to offer extra credit to any students who came to help with cleanup this past Saturday. I’m happy to say that quite a few students showed up, and this is the result. Certainly an improvement!

Before…

And after!

Here’s a short video of me talking about the lobby.

The crew has started painting the exterior of the building, and I’ll show you that soon. We’re also working on renovating the dressing rooms and beginning to rebuild some of the rigging system for the new curtain, which arrives on Thursday!

I need all the help I can get. Please subscribe and spread the word. And if you’re in the area, don’t hesitate to stop by the Dionysus Theatre!