A Star Reborn
If you had been inside Huntington's Keith-Albee Theater on a recent Saturday morning, through the floating dust particles you could have seen back to the future. On September 16, over 100 volunteers began removing the partitions of two mini-theaters that were carved from the original auditorium's approximately 3,000 seats in 1975. By day's end, they were almost gone and the stage was visible from every angle. "As those walls came down, I got cold chills," exclaimed Penny Watkins, executive director of the Marshall Artists Series. The theater has been the series' home almost since its inception 70 years ago.
In 1928, construction of the ornate Keith-Albee was supervised by vaudeville tycoons B. F. Keith and Edward Albee, the grandfather of modern-day American playwright, Edward Albee. The two men added the theater to their Keith-Albee circuit, which at the time was the premier vaudeville tour on the East Coast. Originally slated to cost $250,000, the final bill was almost $2 million.
At its opening, it was one of the largest theaters in the U.S.-second only to the Roxy Theater in New York City. The Hyman family, who had owned and managed the theater since brothers A. B. and S. J. Hyman built it, gave the Keith-Albee to the Marshall University Foundation, Inc., in early 2006. Subsequently, that foundation gave it to a newly formed non-profit organization, the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc., so it could be operated independently.
The designer, Thomas Lamb, was one of the foremost American theater architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He designed over 150 theaters worldwide, only six of which were considered atmospheric theaters-created to give audiences the sensation of being under the night sky. The Keith-Albee is one of those six; the Stanley Theater in Utica, NY, which opened the same year as the Keith-Albee, is another. Considered the Keith's sister theater, it also features a star-studded ceiling, twisted columns on each side of the stage and a lavish baroque "gold-leaf" interior. The Ohio Theater in Columbus, another of Thomas Lamb's Spanish-baroque masterpieces, opened in 1928 as well. It too served as a movie house until suburban sprawl lured audiences to the malls. In 1969, the citizens of central Ohio, who raised over $2 million in less than a year, saved the theater. The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts purchased and renovated the old vaudeville house, which is now the busiest performing arts facility in Ohio.
It is this model of restoration and rebirth that the new Keith-Albee organization hopes to emulate. In January when Derek Hyman announced the closing of the theater as a movie house, the second endeavor to preserve the grand old building sprang to life. Early in Gaston Caperton's first term as governor, another group of concerned citizens tried to "save the Keith" and ensure its existence as a performing arts center. Senator Robert C. Byrd had secured $4.5 million in federal funding for the project, but it needed to be matched-and rather quickly. State funds were not available and local fund-raising efforts could not be mounted rapidly enough. The money was instead transferred to Marshall University's Medical School and the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health was built at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
Now, through the efforts of state Sen. Robert H. Plymale, local attorney David Tyson and others, the rebirth is actually underway. When talk of the Keith's availability began to surface, Plymale and Tyson discussed the idea at great length. According to Plymale, they both felt, for the area's sake, someone needed to step up and make it happen. "The Keith-Albee Theatre is a rare and beautiful jewel. As members of this community we cannot sit idly in the background. We must work to preserve this cultural treasure of West Virginia and the Tri-State area. Our commitment to preserving the Keith-Albee is therefore undeniable," Plymale said. Following the initial work party, he added, "It's been very rewarding to see the interest of the people and how much people really want to see this happen."
A week later, as volunteers ripped down drywall, Tim Milne, president of the Southwestern District Labor Council, said he was there because his father-in-law had worked at the Keith for over 40 years and was a friend of the Hyman family. Milne brought the labor union on board because he "wanted to jump-start the community." They are restoring history, said Milne. He believes that with the commitment of Neighborgall Construction Co., which has undertaken the reconstruction, "we'll get it done."
Inside the old theater, cheers went up as a wall came down. Masks, hard hats and dust were the order of the day. An eighty-year-old man, women and teens worked alongside members of the laborers' union, lawyers and stockbrokers. Sandra McAllister shoveled debris from the demolished walls along with her foster daughter, Diana Pennington. When asked why they volunteered, McAllister says, "We wanted to get involved and do something to make a difference."
Civic organizations in Huntington also have joined the effort, if not physically as a group, then fiscally. A gift of $1,600 from the Huntington Rotary Club plus the Women's Club of Huntington's $2,500 donation will go toward the cost of installing the theater's new projection system and sound equipment. The nowdisbanded Junior Department of the Women's Club performed their annual fundraising variety show, "(Gay) Capers," at the Keith from the 1940s to the 1970s. Furthermore, the Women's Club, along with the Cabell County Board of Education and Marshall University, cosponsored Young People's Concerts there for years.
It is this cross-section of support that the fledgling group will rely on to keep the lights on. The groups' second move- after the initial renovation-was to engage Sachs Morgan Studio from New York to complete a feasibility study for the ongoing operation of the facility. They will recommend a template for operation, an architectural program and cost estimates for further renovation and programming. Plymale says removing the partitions is only the beginning. Now donations are needed. "We've got to build up a fund that will help us sustain ourselves- some kind of trust that we put in and then can draw down. We want to get a significant amount of donations to where we can run the theater from the interest alone. That's one of the goals. Other than that, we will look to any organization that wants to renovate a portion of the building; according to the timetable that we hope will be established by the feasibility study. The amount we need to get it to the point where we aren't worried about everything (is) between $500,000 and $600,000."
The group will launch a Capital Fund Drive but not until after the feasibility study is completed. However, the first fundraiser actually will be the "We Are Marshall" movie premier on December 12. Ideas for programming already abound. Obviously, the Marshall Artists Series will have a permanent home once again, but that's only part of the story. Series executive director, Penny Watkins wants more. "It's exciting for the Artists Series, but I'm also excited for the community- think what that building could host." She ticks them off in rapid succession: small concerts that college students love; with new film equipment, Marshall University film students would have an opportunity to partner with Sundance on educational activities; weddings, balls, graduations, birthday parties, conferences, you get the picture; it will take everyone, just as the demolition of the partitions did.
Meanwhile, the home of the Marshall Artists Series is poised to accommodate a full house. That hasn't been possible for over thirty years. The series' fall film festival debuted the new "old" historic theater. More events are scheduled for 2007.
According to Sen. Plymale, "This is one of those next elements of the revitalization of downtown Huntington. Obviously, there's a lot of activity on Third Avenue with Pullman Square.but we feel like this will help the revitalization toward the Fourth Avenue side.We are just excited to be a part of the revitalization of Huntington." Clearly the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center board believes it can go back to the future.
