Sandusky State Theatre: an inside look at its new interior

Staying on script In the coming days, the Register will dive deeper into more specific topics related to the Sandusky State Theatre's rebuild. This would include individual news stories on its: • Interior design (today) • Historic auditorium • Additional spaces • Enhanced amenities • Capital campaign SANDUSKY — Chris Parthemore vividly recalls the watershed night — June 10, 2020 — which started out as havoc but turned into hope. Into the night and ever since then, he's retained a feeling of optimism. And it's reinforced each time he looks around, above and beyond the beloved but battered brick building. "There was a lot of beauty that night," said Parthemore, the Sandusky State Theatre's executive director, referencing when a storm tore through this nearly century-old downtown landmark, ripped off its roof, destroyed a Vaudeville-era stage and damaged many other areas. "After the storm blew threw, there were these clouds hanging out over the lake, which occurred during the golden hour," he added. "Beams of sun were coming through the clouds and dancing off the waves — and a few of those beams fell onto the theater." Parthemore paused before continuing: "It's a great memory, and, with this rebuild, we wanted to capture the beauty of that." An inside look at blueprints and renderings for the Sandusky State Theatre's new interior — which includes the auditorium and staging areas, walkways, concession areas, restrooms and other public spaces — captures this moment and prominently recreates what happened nearly two years ago. "That is part of our history," Parthemore said. "It needs to be remembered." Parthemore worked closely with representatives of DLR Group, the Cleveland-based firm overseeing its rebuild, to incorporate those moments. "The new interior of the theater draws on the venue's proximity to the lake and strives to capture the brilliance of the sky and water in the moments of calm after a storm, an approach we thought fitting for the theater's reimagination after the storm in 2020," said Marta Johns a senior interior designer with DLR. Parthemore noted, when the theater reopens in 2023, people will notice "many different instances that represent the sun coming from behind the clouds and shining down on the theater or the lake. And you'll see a lot of familiar colors from the lake come inside the building as well." This design process also combines many aspects of the Sandusky State Theatre's rich history dating back to 1928. Among one of the more notable examples: Officials want to bring back the decorative Barocco fountains previously elevated on the auditorium's side walls. "They were there until the 1980s," Parthemore said. "And that's what great about having a project of this size: We can have a comprehensive plan, to do things like this, for the first time since the theater was built, respecting both our past and present." -- Appreciate news from your community? Click here to subscribe to the Register.