Starting immediately after the current season, a long-awaited $50 million renovation and rebuild will begin on the Muny stage. Then, improvements will be made to backstage grounds, dressing rooms, the live bridge, and more.
It’s evident the first 100 years of the Muny have been a dream, almost a miracle in itself and a testament to St. Louisans’ loyalty that the old outdoor theater has withstood the test of time. But touching up cracked paint and re-patching foundation can only last so long, and as the first century comes to a close, a second century will begin with more opportunity and room for imagination.
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As the Muny’s Second Century Capital Campaign website reiterates, the entire Muny grounds are getting an upgrade. Construction will begin with a complete rebuild of the stage, but funds will also be used to: move the orchestra pit under the stage; make needed theatrical equipment improvements; provide work crews with adequate space and covered work areas; upgrade dressing rooms and laundry facilities; create an offstage green room and deli for the entire Muny team; make space for a crew locker room; allow more room for prop storage; make entryway improvements, roof replacements, enhance rehearsal space, and more.
The list is long, but it’s not flippant. The Muny’s marketing and communications director Kwofe Coleman is on the campaign cabinet and said the Muny staff has spent the utmost time planning and researching what improvements need to be made. The list is expansive because the Muny is a century old, and while renovations in the past have been made to audience spaces, many needed rebuilds to the stage and support areas have not been made.
“For one thing, there are an extensive amount of studies that went into what the physical needs are of the facility,” Coleman said. “One of the major projects is rebuilding the stage and then also some of the other support facilities. The preparation part was understanding all the needs, and that’s typical of any capital campaign.”
Once improvements are completed, the Muny will reestablish itself with more ability to cater to the needs of both audience members and production crews. According to the campaign’s website, “bigger ‘stars,’ larger ensembles, pyrotechnics, flying, projections, and other elaborate on-stage effects are all elements that have been eliminated from shows on a regular basis due to budget constraints.” And with the new rebuild, these aspects may have more of a chance onstage. But as Coleman said, the integrity and magical aura will not falter.
“We had a number of consultants and engineers, and we gave them two things [to consider],” Coleman said. “No. 1 was to maintain the look and feel of the Muny and put us in a position where we could employ the latest and best technology to do what we do. Maintaining the look and feel of the Muny is priority one. What we’ve done is make sure what people feel and the experience is most certainly preserved.”
A timeline for the completion of this project is not set. According to Coleman, the stage alone will take two years to completely finish. Nevertheless, summer seasons will not be sacrificed to the project. Construction will either halt or slow during the season and move full force during colder months.
As they say in showbiz, the show must go on.
