Board Members Travel to the Marion Palace

On January 12, Hunt Brawley, Karl Ulmer, Terry Miller, and Judy Segall traveled to Marion Ohio to tour the Palace Theatre. The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission recommended the Palace as a good example of an operating theatre comparable to the Colony. The Executive Director, Elaine Merchant, was very generous with her time and we saw how an exceptionally successful theatre operates.

The Palace is a Moorish-style, “atmospheric” theatre that seats 1400. An “atmospheric theatre” utilizes projection techniques and other stage magic to create the illusion of an exterior environment within the theatre walls. Clouds move across the sky and stars twinkle above you. The Palace is one of the few theatres that has been in continuous operation since it was built in 1928. In 1976 it closed briefly for repairs when it was acquired by the non-profit organization. The Palace provides a broad array of programming including first run films, locally produced plays, symphony, children’s theatre, popular music, comedy and a few headlining shows.