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Nestled in the
hills of Southeast Ohio is the century-plus
opera house known as
The Ariel Theatre. Located in the historic
district of the French town of Gallipolis
on the
Ohio
River, the Ariel was
built in 1895 during the age of gas light
elegance. During her early heyday, she hosted
such luminaries as
Will
Rogers, Sarah
Bernhard and Daniel Emmett. Ensembles such as
the Chicago Opera and the Ziegfield Follies
graced the Ariel's stage.
Vaudeville led to
movies and the Ariel's eventual closing.
Neglected and forgotten, she began the steady
march of decay. Twenty-five years passed before
a local professional musician, Lora Lynn Snow,
entered the Ariel's doors and noticed the
marvelous acoustics, the hallmark of craftsmen
who built in a day and time when electronic
amplification wasn't known. The Ariel had all
the trademarks of the finest halls in the world,
a shoe box shape, thick walls covered with
plaster and being built in the
19th
century.
Lora formed a volunteer group and the work of
cleaning up was begun in the fall of 1988. Years
of accumulated pigeon manure and debris had to
be removed. Volunteers sifted through everything
looking for bits and pieces of ornaments,
woodwork and clues to the Ariel's original look.
Golden oak woodwork prevailed throughout which
the Ariel's new caretakers lovingly stripped and
refinished. Crumbling plaster was replaced and
new wiring and plumbing was installed. Gas-look
sconces were placed on the walls where the
original gas lights hung and the Ariel was
fitted with opulent crimson drapery and
Victorian reproduction seats. Near the planned
reopening of the theatre, elaborate stenciling
on the ceiling, accidentally discovered, was
reproduced on the new plaster by volunteers who
worked all night on scaffolding 30 feet in the
air!
June 9, 1990 the Grand
Opening of the newly restored Ariel Theatre was heralded
by The Ohio Valley Symphony, resident ensemble
of the historic theatre, and dedicated by local
resident Maj. Gen. George E. Bush who made his
own Ariel debut in 1906. In 1991, the theatre
was renamed The Morris & Dorothy Haskins Ariel
Theatre in honor of the
Haskins
contributions to the community.
In July of 2005,
Ann Carson Dater purchased the entire complex
containing the theatre and presented it to the
community as a permanent home for The Ohio
Valley Symphony and for use as a
performing arts centre. The re-dedication
of the facility as The Ariel Ann Carson Dater
Performing Arts Centre was April 22, 2006 (110
years after the original dedication on April 23,
1896). Ownership of the building has made
expansion of all programs a reality. The newly
obtained space includes a Banquet Room, Parlors,
Ballroom, and the third floor Board Room and
Chamber Theatre, restored and opened in
2010. While the primary focus is on the
performing arts, all of the spaces are available
for rental by other organizations and
individuals for meetings, weddings, parties,
recitals and other events.
Today the historic
building is bustling with activities. The Ohio
Valley Symphony, the only professional orchestra
in southeast Ohio, offers a five-concert
subscription series. The OVS sponsors a string
instruction program for area youth. The Ariel
Players, a community theater troupe, entertains
audiences with classic comedies and dramas and
local and regional music groups offer up shows.
Dance and wellness classes are available
throughout the week. The barbershop and
Sweet Adeline choruses find the Ariel's
incredible acoustics and turn-of-the-century
look make the perfect partner with their music.
A hallmark of all Ariel programs is the staffing
of these ensembles and educational programs with
professional artists.
Local businesses find the Ariel the perfect
place for a meeting or presentation, lovers find
the Ariel a romantic and elegant setting to
exchange wedding vows, models think the Ariel
provides a glamorous runway for fashion shows
and lectures, debates and classes work their way
into the Ariel's busy schedule.
The Ariel is the shining star at the very heart
of a region that cherishes its heritage. After
all, Gallipolis not only preserves its past, it
polishes it and puts it on display!
For additional information on the Ariel,
click here.
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