Broadway casts and Grammy-winning musical performers will make their way onto the stage of Charlottesville's Paramount Theater in its upcoming inaugural season.
After a 30-year intermission, the Paramount Theater on the Downtown Mall announced Friday the schedule for its upcoming season -- including 25-cent tickets to showings of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Casablanca" and a pre-opening fundraising gala featuring Tony Bennett.
City leaders said they anticipate that the theater's reopening, set for Dec. 16, will bring a boost to the downtown business district.
"All of the downtown merchants are tremendously excited," said Robert F. Stroh, co-chair of the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville.
The theater will be a welcomed addition to the downtown's economy, which is based primarily on dining and entertainment, Stroh said.
"I think it is like a keystone to the continued success of the Mall," Stroh said. "The Paramount's reopening is the most important and noteworthy thing that has happened downtown in a long time."
The theater first opened in 1931. But like many theaters in the 1970s, the Paramount was forced to close in 1974.
"This happened a lot at that time," said Kristen Gleason, manager for development and community relations at the Paramount. "People weren't coming to the downtown areas any more, whereas earlier in the century they had been the hub of all activity. A lot of downtown theaters faltered in that setting."
The theater now is the last historical Paramount Theater in Virginia.
In 1992, a group of community leaders joined together to purchase the theater. They began to revitalize the theater a year and a half ago.
According to some who have observed the Paramount over time, the change has been dramatic.
"It is really impressive what they've done, most of all if you know what it was and where they brought it back from," said Stroh, who moved to Charlottesville in 1961, when the theater's condition was declining. "That is what will knock your socks off."
The theater's Board of Directors is responsible for the "Setting the Stage" capital campaign, launched three and a half years ago to fund the theater's renovation and restoration.
"We've had a variety of funding sources, mostly individual contributors," Gleason said. "Gifts have come in a variety of sizes, and we are glad to have every single one."
The theater's inaugural season includes more than 30 musical, comedic, dance and theatrical performances.
"We are trying to have a very diverse season, and I think we have done well," Gleason said. "We have a little bit of something for everyone."
As the Paramount embarks on its inaugural season and continues to plan performances for the future, programmers say they are eager to receive community feedback.
"It is really great to get that feedback because we want to present shows and performances that the community wants to see," Gleason said. "After and during the first season we are looking for artists and booking performances, and we want to make sure the Paramount serves the community."
Community members at the conference Friday said they are pleased to see the Paramount return.
"It brings new excitement to the downtown," part-time Charlottesville resident Elizabeth Tankard said. "It will bring a lot of pleasure to a lot of people"
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