Planning, fundraising lead up to work inside Miller Theater

After months of committee meetings, public pleas and concentrated campaigning, the real work on the Augusta Symphony's Miller Theater project is about to begin.

The symphony is set to receive $5.1 million from the special purpose local option sales tax to restore the historic Broad Street theater. The funding was part of the tax package passed in June.

The cash, however, comes with conditions. Not only must all funds go directly to the Miller project, but the symphony must also raise an additional $1.2 million for the project, equal to 25 percent of the symphony's cut of the sales tax proceeds.

Though promised pledges cannot be applied to its share, the symphony can include in-kind donations, donated services and the value of the building, which was donated by Peter Knox IV.

"We're pretty close already," said Sandra Self, the symphony's executive director.

More daunting is the reconstruction project itself.

The Miller Theater opened in 1940, designed and built as a downtown movie palace. It saw its last patrons and performances in 1983.

Mr. Knox bought the property in 2005, replaced the leaking roof, cleaned out much of the mold and mildew and had an engineering assessment performed. After restoration partners or buyers didn't materialize, Mr. Knox offered to donate the property to the symphony.

A walk through the structure today reveals both the theater's former grandeur and the extent of work required.

The auditorium had a capacity of 1,556, but Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and the larger seats demanded by contemporary audiences will probably reduce that by about 100 seats, according to Don Edmunds, Ms. Self's assistant and keeper of the Miller keys.

Currently, the Miller has no seats.

A place to plant posteriors isn't the most pressing issue, however. Though no architectural plan has been drafted, all involved understand that a stage built for a cinema isn't large enough to present the music, dance and theater envisioned. The symphony has estimated that the stage needs to be extended by about 15 feet.

"We might be able to fit the oboes up there," Ms. Self said with a laugh. "But I think we would have to lose the French horns."

Expanding the stage means either busting out the back wall and building into an alley -- a daunting task -- or extending into the auditorium. That could mean losing more seating and would certainly affect sight lines.

Mr. Edmunds said one solution might be to adjust the rake in the balcony, where the sight issues would be most significant. A similar solution was implemented at the Fox Theatre in Spokane, Wash., a project that parallels the Miller restoration in many ways.

The small brown speaker boxes that dot the sides of the auditorium are quiet reminders of another issue the symphony will face. The Miller was designed with amplified monaural sound in mind, movie sound circa 1940. As a live music venue, it leaves much to be desired. Shizuo Z Kuwahara, the symphony's music director, said an acoustician will need to be brought in.

"It is an issue," he said. "And it would have to be addressed. What we need to determine is what is right. Probably we are looking at a shell and clouds, but we need to have the right person to tell us that."

A shell is an acoustic baffle designed to keep sound from bouncing off the back wall of a theater. Clouds are tiles hung from the ceiling to affect the acoustics. Ms. Self said the sound shell would probably cost about $250,000.

Another issue that will need to be addressed is the stage's rigging. The Miller has 17 line sets, places where lights, sets and curtains can be raised and lowered above the stage, and that rigging was installed when the theater was built. Modern theaters consider 25 lines the minimum.

Architectural issues include the construction of a wall between the main auditorium and lobby and building bathrooms downstairs. The only bathrooms in the Miller are on the second floor and accessible only by stairs.

Before the first paint is applied, a plan must be developed. That means bringing in architects, acousticians and engineers to offer suggestions, and deciding whether $6.3 million will get the job done; how much more, if any, will need to be raised; and whether the project is even possible given the economic climate. Ms. Self believes it is and would like to see the theater up and running by autumn 2012.

"That's probably optimistic," she said. "It certainly depends on everything falling right into place."

Should further funds be required, Ms. Self said, there are avenues the symphony could explore, such as selling sponsorships for seats and the marquee.

Ms. Self said the problems haven't tempered her optimism. There are elements, both tangible and intangible, that make the Miller and its rehabilitation such an attractive proposal: the exotic art deco/modern architecture; the iconic murals that flank the stage; the rose glass mirrors that line the lobby; the appeal of a downtown location; and the potential for a historic building's rebirth.

"I see it as a center," she said. "It should be an event. A happening. It should be the place that welcomes all people all the time."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.