Academy Playhouse half-way through a half-million renovation to restore historic splendor
The Academy Playhouse, home of the Academy of Performing Arts, maintains a stately visage from atop a hill overlooking Orleans’ Main Street, the route leading to Nauset Beach.
To Ron Petersen, chair of the Orleans Historical Commission, “the building is the anchor of a proposed historical district encompassing all of Main Street. So the commission is delighted about what the Academy is doing to restore the building in keeping with standards established by the Secretary of the Interior for preservation of historical buildings.”
Working with the Orleans Community Preservation Committee and the town's Historical Commission, the Academy’s Board of Trustees secured a $250,000 grant for the first phase of an extensive restoration project. The initial phase has involved replacing the old, damaged clapboards on the front and one side of the building, along with removing, re-glazing and refurbishing original windows that were no longer keeping out the cold. Reusing the old, refurbished windows is one way the theater company is maintaining the original look and feel of the venerable old building.
An application has been filed for money to refurbish the other two sides of the building and replace a damaged fire escape in phases two and three of the project. The work for the additional two phases will total another $250,000, officials said.
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A relic of the town’s historic past
The structure first saw life as the town hall back in 1873, but from the time Gordon and Betsy Argo arrived in Orleans in the 1940s, the building was destined for a long life in show business. Timing couldn’t have been more perfect; town officials were ready to move their offices, just about the time the Argos were ready to christen the Orleans Arena Theatre.
The couple established the theater in 1949, which means that the building on the hill has been used continually as a theater for 74 years. And here’s the important thing about the theater’s original name: It was the first summer residence arena theater-in-the-round in the United States.
An arena theater, with roots in Greek drama, is the perfect way to bring an audience directly into the action onstage. It’s especially effective for staging intimate scenes between just a few characters. From 1950 through 1975, the building housed a theater-in-residence, where student actors and technicians from George Washington University worked and performed, living in a house up the hill. At its peak, the theater had 35 artists in the colony.
Then, in 1975, another theatrical couple, John and Elizabeth Kelly, began using the theater for their Academy of Performing Arts classes, and the building began its life as the Academy Playhouse. The rest, as they say, is history, with the Academy playing host through the years to scores of productions, ranging from classics to original works.
A little TLC as payback
“It’s been important to retain the historical integrity of the building,” said artistic director Judy Hamer. “And we can’t wait until people in Orleans are able to go by and see it looking so beautiful.”
Beginning in 2013, various plans for renovations were floated, with one actually including an addition and an elevator to improve accessibility. That plan proved too costly and was inevitably shelved. Along with replacement of the clapboards and refurbishing of windows, the current approach has included classroom renovation and replacement of seats. As part of the effort, the Board initiated a buy-a-seat program, placing placards with donors’ names on seats, while also widening aisles between seats.
“We haven’t given up on a goal of making the building more handicapped accessible; there’s an ongoing awareness (among theater Board members) that it would be good to make the theater more accessible,” Hamer explains. “But making the building accessible would be incredibly involved; it would require so much more than putting in an elevator. And, as anyone involved in construction projects knows, construction costs have risen unbelievably.”
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Theater overhaul helps maintain a sense of continuity
The current three-phased building revitalization, which should be complete by the theater’s 50th anniversary year in 2025, Hamer said, is all about maintaining a sense of continuity.
“There’s a strong sense of community in Orleans, and no one is willing to just let this old building go. People remember days when their parents or grandparents were involved in the theater, and they want to be sure it’s still there for their own children.”
And Petersen notes, “This is a critical component in our long-range plan to make Main Street an historical district. After all, the area was once the economic, governmental, cultural and religious center of the town.”
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Academy Playhouse repairs maintain historic charm of 150-year-old site
