Power of Good

PowerofGood.com | Spring 2015 medium of film as well as traditional vaudeville acts and concerts. Because of the inclusion of live shows, the theaters were constructed with an emphasis on acoustics and audience proximity, so the sounds and the sights were excellent. In most cases, there literally was not a bad seat in the house. After World War II and the emergence of the suburbs, the demand for stylish, centralized movie houses subsided. Generic-looking multiplexes began to take their place, and by the 1970s many of the grand old theaters fell into disrepair and started to disappear. But there has been an effort over the past 20 to 30 years to revitalize the historic theaters that remain. The Alabama Power Foundation has assisted through its support of a number of theaters, including the Lyric Theatre, the Alabama Theatre and the Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham; the Saenger Theatre in Mobile; the Davis Theatre and the Capri Theatre in Montgomery; the Ritz Theatre in Talladega; the Mount Vernon Theater in Tallassee; the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa; and the Pastime Theater in Winfield. Historic theaters in the state have become an attraction in their own right, to the point that the Alabama Tourism Department's 2015 Vacation Guide includes a story that lists them and provides a brief description of each one. The two oldest are the Princess Theatre in Decatur, which is housed in an 1880s building but did not become a theater until 1919, and the Fort Payne Opera House, which opened in 1889. Many of the historic theaters noted in the Alabama Vacation Guide – which can be ordered for free at www.alabama.travel/vacation-guide – are up and running again, polished to their former glory. One that is about to join its sisters on the list of restored venues is Birmingham's Lyric Theatre, which was built in 1914 and closed in 1958. After a campaign raised more than $8 million, the Lyric's electric marquee began shining again in 2014, heralding the theater's impending return. The 750-seat facility is now in the midst of restoration, and is scheduled to reopen later this year. The Lyric is expected to host a mix of local events along with national touring acts. "Artists want to play in places like the Lyric where their craft can be perfectly presented," said Tom Cosby, fundraising consultant for the nonprofit Birmingham Landmarks Inc., which owns the Lyric and the famed and long-restored Alabama Theatre across the street. "There are a lot of groups that are excited about the opportunity to perform in this vintage vaudeville theater with perfect acoustics." In addition to the performances that take place inside these historic theaters, there also is the positive effect their restoration has on the communities where they have found new life. Cosby said theaters like the Lyric are "a gift from an earlier generation." "It gives us a sense of our place as a city. It's a point of pride," Cosby said, adding that the Lyric – even before its doors reopen – is drawing people. "You are already seeing the Lyric marquee being used as a backdrop in people's photographs of Birmingham," Cosby said. Indeed, the Lyric and other historic theaters across Alabama are places where the past and present merge – where people can take a step back in time, relax and enjoy the show. 5 Fort Payne's DeKalb Theatre (above left), Mobile's Saenger Theatre (bottom left), and the Davis Theatre in Montgomery (right) have been restored to their former glory.

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