The 97-year-old Renaissance Theatre complex in Mansfield is as busy as ever this fall, presenting everything from a Taylor Swift experience to a Harry Potter classical concert.
The venue hosts 55 productions each year - from Broadway to comedy to experimental theater - plus about 80 educational events serving 16,000 people, according to CEO Chelsie Thompson.
"I think the most meaningful thing to me always is being at the front door when we have educational shows," she said. "You see 1,200 kids … and that look that they have as they walk into a historic theater and sit down for a performance.”
The offerings include musical theater, opera, strings and improv programs plus the MindSprouts creative writing contest for K-12 students.
“It's a transformative experience to be able to put things on a stage and share something together,” she said. “I think that's one of the things that's been really meaningful, especially this year, is the reminder that we all share common emotions. We all can share experiences together.”
The Renaissance opened as the Ohio Theatre in 1928 - the same year the Wurlitzer company built a pipe organ known as Opus 2022. It was used in Hollywood for decades before going through a series of owners, eventually coming to Mansfield for a restoration and installation at the Renaissance in 1985. Thompson said preserving the instrument is one of their many ongoing commitments.
“We are always working to maintain that for the good of the community,” she said. “If there’s anybody out there who loves playing a theater organ, come play our organ! It needs general tuning and maintenance and upkeep. It’s a point of pride."
The Wurlitzer has required additional work over the years, from repairs to its lifting mechanism to a $25,000 restoration of its combination action – the apparatus that selects which stops are in use at a given time. In 2010, as record snowfall in Richland County melted, water seeped into the organ’s interior, requiring $100,000 in repairs.
The organ will sing again this fall during Halloween programming, such as a showing of 1922’s “Nosferatu.” October also brings a showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and an adaptation of “Dracula” at the black box Theatre 166.
With a more than $2 million operating budget, Thompson said general maintenance is the hardest thing to raise funds for. The complex received $49,320 from the Ohio Arts Council, which will go to maintenance, as part of the OAC’s 965 grants totaling more than $23.3 million announced in July.
