The Reopening of

the Turnage Theater

                                                                                                                                 Washington, North Carolina

November, 2007     
 

by Thomas Penders

  
                         
 

After remaining vacant for almost thirty years, the venue that had served as a centerpiece of cultural life in Washington from the 1930′s through 1976 will reopen to a gala celebration on November 3, 2007

For what seems like forever extensive renovations of the Turnage Theater and Playhouse have been the source of curiosity and comments from Washingtonians who frequently expressed that it would never be finished. Now, the totally refurbished venue will make its reopening debut with the presentation of  a performance by the East Carolina University School of Theater and Dance.  Members of the Turnage Foundation had first crack at tickets for the opening at $125.00 a piece. They are completely sold out.

The restoration of the theater has been ten years in the making and has been supported by grants and multiple fundraising campaigns. The Turnage Foundation has raised $2.5 million dollars to restore the Playhouse.

Friday, November 2 1:30PM

Joyce Colwell, of Washington, was the original Director of Volunteers at the Turnage in 1997. She describes the initial startup effort of her group as ”doing everything from manning the phones to doing actual clean-up work of shoveling junk from the floor of the deteriorating structure.” Many of the early volunteers recruited by Ms Colwell have become major contributors of time and money to this collective labor of love. Ms. Colwell expressed concerns that the opening had been cast as an “elitist event”. Invitations to purchase tickets for $150.00 per person were offered to members of the Rachel Futrell Society. Qualifications for this society include a donation of $125.00 per year. Invitations were also provided to anyone who had made a contribution of  $1000.00 or more. Please note that this information has been corrected from inaccurate numbers previously published here. The correction was provided by Joyce Colwell after viewing the site and has been confirmed by reference to published Foundation materials.

A public open house of the theater will be held Sunday, November 4, from 2 until 5 PM. An event that was organized under the name “Poor Man’s Opening” was to take place at a public park in Washington. I just learned that it has been cancelled. The reasons for the cancellation are unclear at this time but we intend to uncover and report the reason for this.

About a month ago, an editorial in the Washington Daily News written by the son of the owner of the the original Washington newspaper highlighted the segregationist history of the Turnage landmark as he recalled that for all of its previous existence African-Americans were limited to seating in the balcony. He pledged to accept only a balcony seat for the Gala to emphasize the commitment of those involved with the Turnage to full and equal rights for all.

While I will not be able to be at the Gala itself, I will be there to report on the perceptions of attendees as well as others in town who are not fortunate enough to be ticket bearers. I will report from the open house following which we will attempt to gather observations and opinions from citizens from along the Washington Waterfront. 

Friday, November 2nd at the Curiosity Shoppe Restaurant across from the Turnage 3:30PM

 Robert Chumley, the Interim, Executive Director of the Turnage Theater said: “we’re expecting 450 people, that’s full capacity.” When asked about the perception that the opening was an “elitist event” Chumley replied: “People have got to understand that this is a fund raising event. It will provide an infusion of cash needed to support the programming for the year. At this time we have a schedule through 2007. Chumley, a former UNC facultly member in the Arts department lives in Winston-Salem where he is an orchestra conductor. He has among his credits providing the early development of the Appalachian Summer Festival while working with the Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He appears excitedly apprehensive about the evening which is a culmination of three months of full time effort.

Saturday, November 3 1:30PM What Happened to the Poor Men’s Opening

Phone call

A source I consider reliable but, who insists on being unidentified here, informs me that the reason for cancellation of the Poor Man’s Opening is pressure from politicians who thought that the fact of the gathering in a public space could be used against them in an upcoming election. The space that was to be used for the event is the source of a dispute between those attempting to maintain the town’s green space and those who want to develop it. The gathering might have be used by those opposed to building on the space as such an event would be a demonstration of the public value of the park in its undeveloped state.

Saturday,  3:00PM Outside the Turnage

The opening Gala is scheduled for 6:30. It’s a formal, black-tie, event. This is very unusual for the small town of Washington. Shops along Main Street have closed early and anticipation can be detected everywhere. Galina Panova is waiting with her dance students on a bench outside the Turnage. Caterers and others with responsilibilty for the event are moving in and out of the entryway. Galina is a Professor of Dance at the East Carolina School of Theater and Dance. As a young woman growing up in Russia she explains that ballet has been her life for as long as she could remember. She became a ballerina for the internationally renowned Kirov Ballet in Russia. Accompanying her for moral support is her close friend Jean Hansson, a social worker from Greenville. Jean shares that Galena is modest. She emphasizes that she first met Galena when she attended a ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia thirty years ago. Galena has danced with ballet greats such as Nureyev and Baryshnikov. Galena shares her knowledge of the history of ballet spontaneously and blithely as she awaits the call for the dress rehearsal. She shares dance trivia with Jean Hansson and I as I bring her a cup of coffee. The ballet was developed to provide entertainment to the French Court. Mozart once danced in a ballet he had composed that was entitled (in translation): “A Beautiful  Nothing”.  Leonardo Da Vinci once directed a ballet. Students Karen Goss from Wilmington, NC and Emily Shaw from Pittsburgh, PA. are in awe. While she only hinted to some pain associated with her later years in Russia, Galina and her husband were for a time the subject of international protests over the refusal of the Soviet Union to allow the couple to emigrate. 

Saturday, 3:30PM Dress Rehearsal

We enter the Turnage Theater for the first time since its renovation. Proceeding down a wide stark corridor the entry is to a foyer with stairs to the balcony. I am in the balcony with Galina, Jean and several observing faculty members from the School of Dance. The theater appears to have been beautifully and faithfully restored to its former glory. Fifty students involved with the performance, design, lighting and music are fully costumed as they will be for the debut scheduled for 7:30.  John Shearin, the Director of the Dance and Theater Progam at East Carolina University congratulates all for their dedication to an effort to “breath new life into a newly revived venue for performers in Eastern North Carolina”. Explicitly stating his goal to “get the timing down”, he begins a full rehersal of the entire show. The actual schedule of performance has been a tightly guarded secret. The program would not be available until distributed to the attendees at the Gala later.

Galina glows as the performance begins with the “Arabian Dance” from The Nutcracker Suite. She tells me: “the performance was beautifully done. This was just the right piece for this occasion, exotic and not too long.”

The program then proceeds to a Jazz Dance, a tap routine, the Officer Krumpke segment from West Side Story and on to a performance of “Class” from the musical “Chicago”. Three theater students perform a Carol King piece: “It’s a Long Way Down.”. The finale is a the performance of the title song from “Hello Dolly”.

Saturday, 5:30 PM Leaving the Theater

Leaving the Theater, I run into Jeff Phipps, a board member of the Turnage Foundation, East Carolina faculty member and Washington resident. Jeff reflects on the trials and tribulations and the enormous effort of vast numbers of people in getting to this point. He tells me that all ECU Departmental Theater programs for the next year will be held at the Turnage. “We are renovating the theater at East Carolina and it won’t be available”. Later Chumley, the interim exec, would respond to a question about this by replying: “Well, we hope so, but all the contracts have not yet been signed”. Galina told me earlier that she fully expected that her East Carolina Ballet students would be dancing at the Turnage throughout the year. I conclude that Chumly is cautious and does not want to make a formal announcement until everything is legal.

Friday 6:00PM Back to the Curiosity Shoppe

I see the beginnings of formally clad attendees making their way down the street to the Theater. A local couple, Shay and Margaret Toner, share their memories of attending the Turnage as teenagers. “I saw “Jaws” and “Star Wars” there, Margaret said. We went almost every Saturday.” Margaret and Shay both open up about their desire to see films at the Turnage again soon. They both support the idea of showings of cult or independent films there.

Friday 6:15 PM Back to the Front of the Turnage                                                 

Dressed in gowns and tuxedos there is now a press of people outside the theater. Larry and Joyce Colwell, smartly and formally attired, share their excitement and agree to meet after the show at the restaurant to provide their review.      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Larry and Joyce Colwell at the Turnage  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       A A limousine appears to discharge passengers in front of the door. Television crews with video cameras from every angle appear. Cameras flash like fireflies and provide an escalation of the buzz. Imagine a red carpet, we might be in Hollywood. I’ve gotten my hands on a copy of the Turnage Opening Program. With the formal start of the show I have some time to organize my notes and get my material on-line.

Saturday, 10:30PM – Curiosity Shoppe

Formally dressed folks begin to arrive for dessert and coffee. My wife and I have just completed dinner and Larry and Joyce Colwell arrive for a debriefing. They are visibly excited. “Nothing was bad” Larry began. Larry is a retired career Naval Officer and for him, that’s an excellant review. Joyce enjoyed the show immensely. Joyce loved the “Hello Dolly” finale. Larry enjoyed the Jazz dance. We excuse ourselves to return home. Blogging can be exhausting.

Sunday, November 4, 3:00PM EST. Open House

Having turned back the clocks one hour to Eastern Standard Time, I am back at the Turnage for the public open house. I would estimate fifty individuals are standing on the street in front of the Theater. Inside the corridor an additional couple dozen are enjoying light hor  hor d’oeuvres. As I enter the corridor leading to the interior of the Turnage Ed Mann, Treasurer for the Turnage Foundation, is seated at a table with Jeff Jakub, a local artist. Jeff has produced a limited edition poster commemorating the opening.                                                                                                                         

Ed is the man to talk to about the budget. He tells me that while the 2.5 million previously mentioned was the amount budgeted for the renovation, with change orders, add-ons and new contents (lighting, seating, etc.) the final bill for opening the Turnage will top 5 million dollars. I purchased a poster for a $150.00 donation to the Foundation.

I enter the theater. Washingtonians in small groups and couples were in the seats, standing in the aisles, on stage, back stage, on the balcony. All were impressed. Many were gazing upward at the restoration of the ceiling, a relief of repeating sunflowers. All expressed optimism about the health of the new venture and it’s meaning to the cultural life of Washington, North Carolina. Several visitors knew the details of upcoming programs. All planned to attend some program soon.

After hanging around and admiring the renovation, chatting with others who had come to the open house, my wife, Susan and I headed for “Down on Mainstreet, a restaurant one block away from the Turnage.  The restaurant is packed. This is unusual for an early Sunday afternoon. After a bite to eat, I make for the Waterfront.

It’s about sixty degrees and sunny but there are few people strolling along the Washington Waterfront. One intent couple is having an angry interchange. They don’t look very approachable. Everyone must be at the Turnage.

Sunday 4:30PM Finale

I’m returning home to complete the upload of pictures and text as it appears that the frenzy over the Turnage Opening is winding down.