|
|
|
|
The “grand lady” is the Gaslight Theatre housed in the historic 1895 Shiner Opera House.
“This is a very unique place. It’s a live theater in a historic building,” said Irene Cerny, theater board member and publicity chair for the upcoming gala fundraiser.
The theater is on the second floor of the Opera House, whose exterior was renovated in 2006. The vaudeville-style stage is a work of art in itself with the dark wood inlaid and patterned designs framing the stage’s border. The stage and its “trimmings” are all original from 1895.
Ongoing restorations include replacement of the stage floor and addition of another side stage. One unique feature is the side stage for scene changes that give the theater more flexibility, said Gene Cerny, restoration chairman.
“We will also refinish the floor where the main seating is, and redo the raised seating area. It has been a temporary seating area since 1975. The restorations will make it permanent,” said Gene Cerny.
In addition to volunteers doing the restoration work, inmates from the Intermediate Sanction Facility in Gonzales chipped in as part of their community service obligations.
Other restorations include moving the light and sound box to the center of the back and making improvements to the kitchen and dumbwaiter.
Only the theater itself is undergoing restorations at this time. Future projects could include improvements in the downstairs of the Opera House, which serves as the box office and museum.
The Opera House certainly has a history worth telling.
After opening in 1895 the building hosted numerous social and cultural events until 1927 when the Palace Theatre was constructed.
“This place was practically forgotten because there was a modern theater in town,” Gene Cerny said. “It was apartments, it was a meat market, a sports store. Eventually it was used for storage.”
Then along came a miracle worker named Sister Michelle Belto, a local nun and drama teacher. In 1975, she and her students saw the potential of the old building and worked with other members of the community to bring it back to life.
A non-profit organization was formed and the Gaslight Theatre became active again. Today, three productions are held each year.
“Our summer production is usually put on by college and high school students from the area,” Gene Cerny said.
This past school year, the Gaslight Theater board gave out nine $500 scholarships to high school students.
“What’s wonderful about it is that it’s giving these kids ownership in this building as well. Hopefully, they’ll want to keep it as a theater and keep it in good condition,” Irene Cerny said.
The Gaslight Theatre is “very much a regional theater,” said Irene Cerny, sitting at the table with three other board members who are all from Moulton.
“We’ve had actors and actresses from all over the area– Victoria, Hallettsville, Cuero, Yoakum, Gonzales…we pull in from the whole area,” she said.
Restorations should be completed by early 2009. Rehearsals for the spring play begin in February.