|
|
|
February 25, 1998 By Eric Swanson
The smell of popcorn will fill the lobby as the audience takes its seats. The curtain will rise, and the show will start. The theater closed in the fall of 1997 after Ron Cooper, who was leasing it from building owner Mike Burkhart, decided he could no longer afford to lease it. Cooper had managed the theater since 1974, and stayed on as manager after Burkhart bought it in 1984. Over the years, audiences for movies at the Dodge Theatre slowly dwindled away. Cooper kept the theater going as long as he could --They even tried offering bargain shows shortly before he decided to close it down -- but eventually it just became too expensive for him to continue. That's when Burkhart decided to try running the theater himself. He and his wife have been busy restoring it for the past several months -- re-plastering the walls, reupholstering the red plush seats and generally sprucing the place up. The signs of restoration are everywhere -- newly washed and repainted walls, bright colored glass in the light fixtures --but the theater is definitely a work in progress. The thick red carpeting is worn through in places, and several of the seat cushions are either threadbare or missing. Despite those problems, the theater's essential character still shines through in touches such as the miniature balconies, complete with curtained windows, that flank the movie screen. The balconies are really too small to be used, but they add a dash of Middle Eastern charm to the romantic atmosphere. "There's more to a movie theater than just the movie," Burkhart said. "I think the atmosphere adds to the dramatics of it. I don't care if you're selling cigars, showing a movie or whatever. I think the presentation is a large part of what you're doing." Burkhart is hoping to reopen the theater sometime in April, possibly as early as April 15. It will start out as a movie theater, but he has visions of turning it into a multipurpose theater that can offer everything from first-run movies to live stage productions and concerts. Even after the theater reopens, the restoration will continue. Every part -- from the projectionist's booth to the dressing room beneath the stage -- will be brought up to date. The old balcony, which has been closed since the mid-1970s, will be refurbished and opened up again. That doesn't mean that all the old trappings will be thrown away. Burkhart owns several classic movie posters, from "Gone with the Wind" to "Casablanca," and he plans to use them to enhance the theater's atmosphere of old-time movie magic. Even the old projection equipment may find a new use. "I'm not going to throw anything away," Burkhart said, patting the old projector. "I'm going to take it out and keep it. It's pretty cool." Even though April is still two months away, people are already getting excited about the theater's reopening. Everyone's calling Burkhart about it -- people who used to work there, people who used to take their dates to see movies there, and people who just want to see a part of Dodge City's history come back to life. "I look forward to the day when we can fill it up," Burkhart said, smiling at the thought. "That'd be a great thing." |
|
Movie House History - Classic
Theaters Of Kansas © 2007
|
If
everything goes as planned, the Dodge Theatre will soon be
seeing lights, camera and action again.