What's next for OKC's Jewel Box Theatre after demolition of its former church home?

On a gloomy autumn morning, a cast of Jewel Box Theatre directors, actors and supporters became the audience for an outdoor drama.

The group gathered early on Oct. 25 to watch a Midwest Wrecking crew tear down the theater's former longtime home, a familiar pink stone building on the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Oklahoma City property, 3700 N Walker.

Chuck Tweed, who served as Jewel Box Theatre's production manager for more than 40 years before retiring in January 2019, spearheaded the emotional gathering, ensuring that the demolition of the old Jewel Box was accompanied by greater fanfare than the surprise Sept. 26 razing of the historic church building's distinctive white egg-shaped dome.

"We are saddened by the loss of the old building. We were saddened whenever we moved out ... but it was exciting to do something new," said Deborah Franklin, who has recently been named the Jewel Box Theatre's new co-managing director, along with her husband, Richard Lemin.

"The theater is alive and well ... and we are really honored to be the people now to take up the charge and lead it forward."

Where is Jewel Box Theatre's new home?

OKC's longest continually running community theater, Jewel Box is a ministry of First Christian-Oklahoma City. Like the congregation, the theater moved two years ago the short distance into the former Trinity School building on the church's property at NW 37 and Walker Avenue.

"They had a very large what we jokingly referred to as a gymnatorium: It was basically a gymnasium for the kids, but on one end, they had this very small pageant stage. When the congregation moved in, they took the southern end for the sanctuary, and the northern end is now basically the Jewel Box Theatre," Lemin said.

"We have about 140 seats in a thrust — it's not (in the) round like the old one was — but we've had about a season and a half, almost two seasons in there since we moved over."

What's next at Jewel Box Theatre?

Now in its off-season, the Jewel Box is hosting a few shows from other producers in its performance space at 321 NW 36 Street.

For Halloween weekend, Derek Kenney, the theater's former artistic director and production manager, is directing an independent production of Oscar Wilde's dark, sexy tale "Salomé" with performances continuing at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Jewel Box Theatre. 

C & R Home Entertainment will stage the play "FAT Don't Crack," written and directed by Clarence Williams Jr., at 7 p.m. Nov. 4-5 at the Jewel Box.

And the Jewel Box and First Christian-Oklahoma City will collaborate on "A Christmas Cabaret" Dec. 16-18 at the theater.

When will Jewel Box Theatre launch its 65th season?

The Jewel Box dropped the curtain its 64th season in August with Don Zolidis' comedy "An Unspeakable Triumph of Supreme Brilliance," taking its bows with its annual Gem Awards on Oct. 1.

The  nonprofit community theater is transitioning from its traditional fall-to-spring model to a January-October schedule for its 65th season, which will launch with the Feb. 2-19 production of "A Company of Wayward Saints." Lemin will direct George Herman's 1966 comedy, with auditions slated for Nov. 5-6 and rehearsals starting in January.

"For Jewel Box, it's really difficult to try to rehearse a show through the Thanksgiving holiday, and then get the show up and running and then down before the Christmas holidays start. ... And it's hard to compete because there's just so many things happening during the holiday season," Lemin said.

"So, we're going to take November-December as our off-season to get the theater in shape and start planning the next season."

What shows are on Jewel Box's 65th season?

Following "A Company of Wayward Saints," Jewel Box will continue its 65th season with March 16-April 2 with Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," adapted and directed by Holly McNatt, which was originally planned as the season opener.

The 2023 season will carry on May 11-28 with Quiara Alegría Hudes' 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner "Water by the Spoonful," directed by Isaiah J. Williams; June 29-July 16 with Jaston Williams, Oklahoman Joe Sears and Ed Howard's comedic threequel "Red, White and Tuna," helmed by Adrienne Pierce with assistance from Doobie Potter; and Aug. 3-20 with Lucas Hnath's thought-provoking title "The Christians," directed by Kenney.

The 65th season will close Oct. 5-22 with Alfred Uhry's 1997 Tony-winning play “The Last Night of Ballyhoo," directed by Jamie Brewster.

What are the new managing directors' plans for the Jewel Box?

After helming the company for two years, Kenney left the Jewel Box in September to become the new box office manager for Lyric Theatre. So, Franklin and Lemin, who have been married for 36 years, only recently stepped in as co-managing directors at the Jewel Box.

"The history and the heritage of Jewel Box is as a community theater, and we have been asked to basically keep that going. And that is what we plan to do ... and we want to be the best community theater we can," Lemin said.

"We want to get actors and directors, we want to get playwrights, we want to get people who want to use their technical skills. ... We basically look (at it) as a place to develop talent. Hopefully, if they stay here in Oklahoma City, they'll continue working with us. And if they go on, we'll be happy to say, 'Hey, they got their start at Jewel Box Theatre.'" 

He and Franklin have history with the Jewel Box that goes back decades: They have worked at the community theater since 1983, when Lemin directed and Franklin starred in Neil Simon’s "The Star Spangled Girl."

The couple has directed, appeared in and/or written 35 productions there. Franklin even directed the last show in the old Jewel Box Theatre building that was just demolished:  a late 2019 production of Sandra Fenichel Asher’s comedy “Little Old Ladies in Tennis Shoes." 

"We've always had really positive experiences at the Jewel Box: It is a true community theater, and it has always been a great place to work. Every time you'd walk back in to direct or to perform there, it just felt like you'd come back to theater home," Franklin said.

"We didn't foresee the opportunity to to run the theater; it just ended up being really great timing for us. Richard and I are both public school educators, and we both retired last spring. ... So, we applied, and we're really thrilled to be here, because we hope that what we're able to do is to bridge the past and future."

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jewel Box Theatre takes razing of former home in stride, continues on