LITTLE ROCK — When the Arkansas Repertory Theatre opens its doors Wednesday to usher in its 36th season with a gala preview performance of the musical Ring of Fire, patrons will notice that the facilities not only appear more plush and elegant but they’ve also risen several notches on the comfort scale.
“Before the renovation, you came down to see shows at the Rep in spite of the space. Now you’ll come down to celebrate great works on the stage in a great space,” says Bob Hupp, producing artistic director of The Rep, located at 601 Main St. in Little Rock.
The nonprofit professional theater’s 2011-’12 season officially begins Friday, but Wednesday’s audience will be the first to experience a performance in the new seats on all levels of the Cindy Murphy Auditorium.
The auditorium, named after capital campaign cabinet member Cindy Murphy - she and husband Chip donated $1 million to the renovation - features new flooring, lights and acoustic panels as well as increased seating.
Even with 30 new seats on the first-floor orchestra level, the room seems expansive and the seats cushy and ample. Seating capacity in The Rep’s MainStagetheater is now 385.
Of the additional seating, Hupp says, “They’re here, but can you find them? That’s an extra row. You’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference, to see where there are 30 more seats. That’s the magic of the architects.”
More magic by architect Terry Rasco of Witsell, Evans and Rasco should be apparent to every theatergoer during the grand-opening performance - the stage is clearly visible from every seat inthe house, even those on both mezzanine levels.
“I’m telling you, people used to groan when the only thing that was available was the second row in either of the mezzanines. Now they’re excellent seats,” he says, explaining the flooring under the high-backed seats was raised 8 inches, which gives audience members there an unobstructed sightline to the stage.
“Before, in the old seating, I would have to sit forward to see the stage,” Hupp says, demonstrating while seated on first mezzanine’s front row. Leaning back, he says, “But now I can sit back and see everything.
“This is the thing I’m happiest about because it makes every seat a great experience. I think the best seats are in first-row mezzanine now.”
On Aug. 22, Hupp buoyantly showed off each improvement throughout the public areas. His descriptions of what had been completed and what remained to be done before this week’s opening were often interrupted by the noise of workers pounding hammers and screeching electrical saws in the lobby, hallways, backstage and onstage.
Despite the cacophonous accompaniment to his narrative, Hupp’s enthusiasm was obvious as he explained the auditorium’s transformation, pointing out details such as blue sconces, purple acoustical panels and four alcoves that are the theater’s equivalent of skybox seating.
In the cozy alcoves next tothe stage on both mezzanine levels, traditional seating was removed to be replaced with tables and chairs. Theatergoers who reserve the alcoves will be able to bring in food and drink from the theater’s concession stand so they can relax and socialize before the show begins.
“We call it ‘table seating.’ It doesn’t have any fanciername than that,” Hupp says. “We’re very excited. It’s a different kind of experience for our patrons.”
The work on the theater’s public spaces is the fourth and final phase of the $6 million improvement project, the culmination of a capital fund drive that began in 2008 and never wavered even during the nation’s recession. Morethan 300 donors contributed, with The Rep raising $5,443,384 in time to qualify for a $600,000 Kresge Foundation challenge grant to reach its $6 million goal.
The first three phases of the project involved renovating an apartment building used by out-of-town actors, buying and converting the old Brandon House warehouse on Izard Street for a scenic shop where full sets will be built, and replacing the leaky roof and inefficient heating and cooling system and repairing exterior walls.
The final phase - which cost just under $1 million - is the most exciting because it’s the most visible to patrons and the one that ties everything together to “enhance the audience experience from start to finish,” Hupp says.
When patrons enter the remodeled front entrance, they’ll be in an open lobby bright with light from the streetside wall of sparkling new windows. The freshly painted adjacent white walls will showcase the work of 90 artists with a new art-hanging system.
At the far end of the lobby is the expanded concession stand, where patrons can buy snacks and drinks from Sufficient Grounds. The box office, while new and improved, is still in the same location but the glass wall that separated it from patrons has been removed to make it “more friendly, more accessible,” Hupp says.
Of all the many improvements to the building, he says, perhaps what patrons will appreciate most are the renovated restrooms throughout the theater. The size of the firstfloor women’s restroom, for example, has been doubled to10 stalls, two of them handicapped-accessible. The room also has been modernized with motion-sensor water faucets in the new sinks.
The reopening of the bar on the mezzanine, Hupp says, elevates The Rep as a destination for after-show socializing. The former Club Mezz was closed three years ago because the flooring was unstable.
That floor has been replaced, the walls painted a sage green and deep purple, and the bar renamed Foster’s at The Rep in honor of the late Vince Foster, a former chairman of the theater’sboard of directors.
The massive wood bar, hand-built when the building was converted to a theater in 1989, has been refinished, outfitted with new appliances and will be open for business this week.
“We’ll serve wine, beer and snacks. The cool thing is this bar will be open before the shows as it has always been, but now it’ll also be open after the shows,” Hupp says. “People can come up here, mingle with the actors and talk about the show with their friends. This gives people a destination within our building. Before, they’d just come to the show, then leave. Now they can stay here.”Schedule
Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash opens The Rep’s 2011-12 season with an event-filled week celebrating the theater’s grand reopening after a $6 million renovation.
The show runs Friday through Oct. 9, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission starts at $20 for advance tickets, day-of-show admission starts at $30; available online at tickets.therep.org or call (501) 378-0405.
What’s happening this week: WEDNESDAY
Grand Reopening Gala Preview begins at 6 p.m. with a Red Carpet Reception in the fresh new lobby area. Curtain at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $100 with all proceeds going toward establishing a building maintenance fund.
THURSDAY
“Pay What You Can Night” preview performance, sponsored by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Open to the public, curtain at 7 p.m. Patrons can pay any amount they want for their tickets, but they must be bought in person at the box office the day of the show.
The box office opens at 9 a.m. and will be open until curtain time or until they sell out. Tickets are limited to two per person.
FRIDAY
Opening night. Show begins at 8 p.m. and will be followed by a reception with the cast at which complimentary champagne and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
- Rhonda Owen
Style, Pages 51 on 09/11/2011