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Meet at the MAC to carpool: 1:00 pm
Meet at The Holland Theatre: 2:00 pm
This summer, we are hitting the road to visit historic opera houses in Ohio. Built in the 19th and early 20th century, opera houses were found in many rural communities around America. Many are located on the second story of buildings, such as town municipal buildings. They often served as the center for the community, hosting traveling vaudeville shows & lectures, movies, and community events like graduation ceremonies & talent shows, and many other varied events.
We are also excited to welcome back Michael Hurwitz, Technical Theatre Restoration Consultant. Michael spoke to the Lifelong Learning Institute at the MAC about Ohio’s historic opera houses and his role in their restoration, inspiring us to ask him if he would lead us on tours of 4 of these historic gems.
The Holland Theatre
The Holland Theatre opened on February 12, 1931, as a 1,400-seat movie palace. It stands out among the dozens listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the rolls of the Theatre Historical Society of America as the only atmospheric theater in the United States featuring 17th Century Dutch architecture and the only atmospheric theater with a copyrighted design. Designed to evoke the feeling of a particular time and place for patrons, atmospheric theaters used projectors, architectural elements and ornamentation that evoked a sense of being outdoors. This was intended to make the patron a more active participant in the setting. In 1998, the Holland was closed to the public and listed for sale, but a multimillion-dollar restoration was completed in 2019, raising the curtain once again at The Holland.
127 E Columbus Ave
Bellefontaine, OH 43311
About Michael Hurwitz
Michael Hurwitz graduated from the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1967. He holds a BA from the Ohio Dominican University and an MA from California State University with a Professional Degree from the British American Drama Academy and Julliard with studies at Balliol College, at the University of Oxford, England. Michael was an Adjunct Professor at Urbana University. His books include D.W. Griffith's 1915 Film, The Birth of a Nation: The Film That Transformed America; There's Gold in Your Attic: A Collector’s Memoirs; Backstage with Booth: Behind the Scenes of the Lincoln Assassination; Ohio's Historic Opera Houses; and Long Journey Home: A Soldier's Story. His plays include Theatre on the Second Floor and Long Journey Home. His documentary films include The Great Southern Theatre: Revival of a Legend. Michael and his wife Jacquie have been married since 1975 and have a daughter, Sarah. Michael is a Vietnam Era Army veteran with distinguished service at Headquarters Company for the United States Army. He has consulted on ten successful opera house/theatre restorations.
http://www.historicoperahouses.org/id3.html
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