Theatre revival
by Karen Harrison
Have you ever set out on a trip, expecting something memorable, only to find that you got more than you bargained for?
Last July, a member of a band famous in the Sixties was giving a concert in the northeastern US. I had often assured my husband, a huge fan, that if his idol ever appeared within a day’s drive of Ottawa, we would take a mini-vacation and hit the road.
We found ourselves making a pilgrimage, of sorts, to Torrington, Connecticut, a small city of 35,000 west of Hartford, near the Litchfield Hills. Once we arrived, we went to pick up our tickets at the box office of the Warner Theatre, unsure if we would find a community auditorium or some old theatre space that had seen better days.
Never in our wildest dreams could we have been prepared for what we found.
The Warner Theatre had opened in 1931 as a movie palace (yes, the Warner Brothers were behind it). For many years, its 1700 seats accommodated avid moviegoers, and other attractions. But by the early 1980s, it had fallen into disuse and disrepair, and was slated for demolition.
At that point, local residents rallied to preserve the architectural landmark, and a non-profit group bought the property. The theatre reopened as a performing arts centre in 1983, and restoration of the building was finally completed in 2002.
Restoration, however, doesn’t begin to describe the breathtaking splendor found at the Warner Theatre today.
The façade of the building on Main Street boasts the distinctive marquee and tall, vertical sign so typical of a 1930’s theatre.
To enter the lobby is like stepping into a different time. Every detail has been painstakingly restored – art deco décor, murals of Litchfield County historic sites, a mahogany banister on the grand staircase. Even the carpeting was designed to replicate the original.
The auditorium has also been returned to its original gilded glory, including a giant star chandelier surrounded by a star-studded azure ceiling.
Before the concert, and during intermission, we met some of the dedicated volunteers who work the front of the house handling programs, ushering and refreshments. There are more than 700 volunteers who work to keep the entire operation going, doing everything from plumbing to community outreach to ensure that the commitment to the theatre will continue.
The Warner Theatre offers a wide variety of concerts and shows. During the 2005-2006 season, its 75th, acts ranged from Man of La Mancha to B.B. King, to the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats, to Lyle Lovett. Still to come are Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor and Seussical: The Musical in late July.
Faced with a decline in the area’s manufacturing base, the theatre has become a centerpiece for economic renewal in Torrington. Besides featuring traveling entertainers and show companies, the Warner Theatre is home to a rich educational initiative in performing arts. All year round, the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts offers courses for children and adults in music, dance and drama. While we were there, a small shop for items related to music and dance was positively buzzing as sixty or seventy teenaged girls, together with their proud parents, completed registration for a six-week pre-professional ballet summer institute. Those girls, including a couple from Toronto, would be living in a dormitory setting, training hard to present a special performance at the end of the summer. Their energy and enthusiasm were contagious.
We couldn’t help but admire what is being achieved in Torrington – preserving an architectural treasure of great heritage value, using the resources of both the space and the hundreds of citizens committed to promoting artistic performance and education, and channeling all that energy into economic renewal. Surely this is a model other communities can, and should, strive to follow.
For more information and programming highlights, see www.warnertheatre.org.
