Lyric Theatre renovation plan giving new life to movie palace
Renovation giving new life to movie palace

By Rick Rogers

Published: November 18, 2007

Throughout much of the 1960s and '70s, urban renewal projects often resulted in razing vacant or dilapidated buildings to make way for new freeways, housing projects and public spaces. But in recent years, the phrase has managed to shed its negative connotation. Today, urban renewal often means the redevelopment or revitalization of existing communities.

Since 2000, Lyric Theatre has been largely responsible for transforming a stretch of NW 16 between Classen and Pennsylvania. The former Corsin's Market was refurbished for Lyric's administrative offices, and a former Humpty Dumpty Supermarket one block west was turned into the musical theater company's production center. New sidewalks, vintage street lights and landscaping were added thanks to an Oklahoma City infrastructure improvement grant.

In the coming weeks, Lyric Theatre will put the finishing touches on the final jewel in its crown, the renovation of the old Plaza Theatre. Built as a first-run movie house in 1935 and remodeled in the 1950s, the Plaza Theatre went the way of many neighborhood theaters and closed in 1979. Since then, neglect and disuse have contributed to its demise.

For many years, Lyric sought a place where it could present smaller musicals and children's shows that would be dwarfed in the 2,500-seat Civic Center Music Hall. The Civic Center's Freede Little Theatre and the auditorium at Omniplex were used as temporary venues.

Now in the final weeks of what has been a 15-month renovation, Lyric at the Plaza is being refitted with a new stage, new seats and a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system. Once complete, the renovated theater will seat 278, an ideal size for more intimate stage shows.

"The new space forced us in a good way to think outside the box,” said Bart Wells, Lyric's production coordinator. "This is going to be a flexible space that can accommodate small to medium-size musicals. We're also investigating being able to present jazz combos, small bands, open mike nights or even one-person shows.”

In the newly designed Lyric at the Plaza, the open grid design will allow lights to be hung anywhere in the house. The railings over the stage area were also designed to be removable, thereby allowing the cast to incorporate the entire building as a theatrical space.

Other technical improvements include the installation of a sprung floor that can accommodate dance productions, a grid that can support even the heaviest of scenery pieces and three soundproof voice studios. Adjacent to one of the second-floor voice studios is a music library/study center that will house scripts, musical scores and acting books.

In addition to housing a box office and concession stand, the lobby will feature three plasma-screen monitors that will be used to recognize and thank Lyric donors and supporters. A fourth will be used to spotlight the actors who will be appearing in each production.

The renovation of the former Plaza Theatre has been overseen by Elliott and Associates Architects. During the planning stages, the architectural team tried to preserve as many aspects of the historic building as possible, all the while giving the space a contemporary look and feel.

"Rand (Elliott) wanted to make sure that a lot of the original architecture didn't get covered up,” said Paula Stover, Lyric executive director. "One of the fun discoveries was a spot in the basement that had the date 6/5/35 written on it to indicate when the concrete was poured for that area of the theater. Rather than covering it up, Rand framed it out.

"In the men's restroom, you can see where a fireplace used to be. And in one of the dressing rooms, there's a beam that has a newspaper advertisement embedded in the concrete. It's those kinds of things that have made this project fun. We're taking those pieces of the past and putting a modern flair on them.”

Lyric at the Plaza will open Dec. 7 with "Plaid Tidings,” a holiday show featuring the same all-male, close-harmony musical arrangements that made "Forever Plaid” so popular. A joint Lyric Theatre/University of Oklahoma staged reading is planned for January.

"Greater Tuna,” a comedy in which two actors portray dozens of small-town Texas characters, is scheduled to open Feb. 15. The highly successful Lyric Academy, a training program for young musical theater performers, will present its annual production in April. The inaugural season, which will continue throughout 2008, will feature a Halloween tie-in with "The Rocky Horror Show.”

The re-opening of the Plaza Theatre will allow Lyric Theatre to become a year-round cultural and educational institution. The Plaza will offer Academy students the ultimate classroom setting, a place where students can rehearse, perform and gain invaluable theatrical experience.

"Over the past several years, Lyric has considerably expanded the types of productions offered to our audiences,” said Nick Demos, Lyric artistic director. "However, our own theatrical space brings with it an artistic freedom that was never available to us before. This is the beginning of an amazing time for us.”

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