Gallipolis – Ariel Theatre
Current Name of Theater: The Morris & Dorothy Haskins Ariel Theatre
Current Type : Theater
Seats: 180
Website: http://www.arieltheater.org
Historic Names of Theater: Ariel Theater
Address: 426 Second Avenue, Gallipolis, Ohio 45631
Gallia County
Year Built: December 1895
Original Architect:
Original Cost:
Listed on National Register: no
History of Theater
Nestled in the hills of Southeast Ohio is the 100-plus-year-old 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 during the age of gas light elegance. During her 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.
Cost of Rehabilitation: Local sponsors are still deciding on the scope of a project for the $100,000 appropriation in Am. Sub. H.B. 16 of the 126th General Assembly.
Architect:
Contractors:
Source of Funds: It closed in 1963, but reopened in 1990 after a restoration project that received a Preservation Merit Award from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. The facility is now called the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre and honors Ms. Carson Dater, who has donated $4 million to the Ohio Valley Symphony Orchestra, the local project sponsor.
Renovation Story
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 hall and meeting rooms and another smaller theatre. While the primary focus is on the performing arts, all of the spaces are available for rental by other organizations.
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 Ariel Players, a community theater troupe, entertains audiences several times a year with classic comedies and dramas. The Ariel Jr. Theatre offers up family oriented fare with an emphasis on youth participation. The barbershop and Sweet Adeline choruses find the Ariel’s incredible acoustics and turn-of-the-century look makes the perfect partner with their music. Weekly performing arts classes in acting, string, and dance are available for our local communities. 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. Couples find the Ariel a romantic and elegant setting to exchange wedding vows and celebrate with an elegant reception. Models think the Ariel provides a glamorous runway for fashion shows. Lectures, debates and classes also work their way into the Ariel’s busy schedule.
In July of 2005, philanthropist Ann Carson Dater, who grew up in Meigs County, made a gift to the community of the building that houses the historic Ariel Theatre at 426 Second Avenue in Gallipolis, Ohio. She wanted to provide a permanent home for The Ohio Valley Symphony and a place for youngsters and adults to take lessons and participate in performing arts programs that rival those offered in larger cities.
To celebrate the gift, April 22, 2006 was chosen as the Grand Re-Dedication of The Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre almost 110 years to the day of the original dedication of the Ariel Opera House. The Ariel was given a facelift that included new energy efficient windows, repairing, painting and refurbishing the second floor rooms, a new marquee, poster boxes and awnings and a new entrance with energy efficient, handicapped accessible doors. A new heating and cooling system has also been installed in the auditorium and 2nd floor banquet facilities.
Mrs. Dater was given a Montgomery Ward violin in her youth, took lessons from a German violin teacher and performed with her high school orchestra and later with the Rio Grande College orchestra. Although she no longer resides in the area, she has generously endowed the OVS over a period of years so as to bring professional music to local residents and youths. “The world would be a better place if everyone listened to symphonic music,” says Mrs. Dater.
The Ariel is a shining star at the very heart of a region that cherishes its heritage.
