WACO: Century-old theater throws doors open again
The chill in the air might have shrunk the crowds for a street dance outside the remodeled Waco Hippodrome on a recent Saturday night, but the lobby was busy, the second-floor cafe was full, and people seemed thrilled at the newest manifestation of a revitalized downtown.
The century-old Austin Avenue theater, which saw appearances by Abbott & Costello and Elvis Presley through the years, has reopened, drawing on nostalgia and displaying a love for the iconic showplace.
Monica Wheelis, standing with a group around a heater in the open-air courtyard, remembered crying at a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the theater in the years before its 2010 closing. “I never thought it would reopen,” she said. “I hope they’ll start producing plays now, but it’s great that they’ll show movies, too.”
Carole Player Golden, who left Waco in her late 20s for a career in real estate before returning 12 years ago, remembered buying a ticket for a Saturday matinee and two caramel puffs for a quarter.
“There had been several attempts to bring downtown Waco back,” she said. “I remember they tried to get a mall going, but it folded about the time everyone started shopping in the suburbs. But I saw all the cafes and other ventures starting here in the past few years and told my husband to just watch, it’s going to work this time. He kept saying it never would, but look at everything that’s going on now, here and just across the street.”
Jason Rose worked in lighting and sound for the theater for several years before it closed.
“I think among the reasons it closed was that they kept bringing in big shows that had to leave half their stuff on their trucks, and we couldn’t make it pay,” he said. “Plus, there were a lot of repairs that needed to be made. It would take a developer willing to put in lots of money and effort to get it going again, and I thought it was just out of the question.
“So when I saw that there were plans to reopen it, I just said ‘wow’ and came over to see if I could get back on. They already had most of their team in place, but I told them a lot they didn’t know about how things had been, and they said they might be able to make a place for me.”
He is now a lighting director for the theater.
“I think it’s great that they put in stadium seating on terraces, because in the old theater, if somebody much taller than you was in front of you, you couldn’t see the stage. Also, they were able to rework the horsehair plaster in the walls. Real horsehair reinforces the plaster and keeps it from crumbling.
“There are lots of things they’re doing right, both physically and in programming.”
The planned uses for the theater include first-run movies, live music, theater and dance, all with food and drink service.
This story was originally published December 4, 2014 at 12:00 PM with the headline "WACO: Century-old theater throws doors open again."