| It is difficult to find producers and investors for a space that is gone. The old house had housed operas for 84 years. Somehow they were able to stage memorable operas despite the drawbacks. Look at theater spaces all over the country that have adapted. The Beacon Theatre was build for silent films. It has almost NO backstage space. And yet concerts and touring plays and the TONY awards have used it. The Boston Opera House also began its life as a movie palace. Should they have torn it down because people started going to cineplexes? The Boston opera used it for years , then the Boston Ballet. I saw Hello Dolly there just 2 years ago. The Shubert Theater in New Haven was judged unviable because of its second balcony and limited space. It was thought it couldn't house the large scale touring shows. They couldn't. But they COULD accommodate smaller tours, concerts and plays. It is a thriving arts organization. To paraphrase FIELD OF DREAMS, "If they tear it down, they won't come". |
