Thursday, December 31, 2009
As 2009 dawned, things couldn’t have been worse for the Youngstown Playhouse.
The theater was closed — a victim of rising expenses, plummeting revenues, a building badly in need of repairs, and a mountain of debt.
The smell of death was emanating from the Playhouse, which had canceled its season in late 2008.
Then things got even worse.
In January, the IRS slapped a lien on the Playhouse for unpaid payroll taxes. As a final indignity, a water pipe burst inside the theater, damaging floors and ceilings.
All that was left to do was write the obituary.
It never happened.
Through the steady leadership of president Rand Becker and the rest of the board, the Playhouse rather quickly fought its way back. Becker & Co. cut expenses, sold assets and paid off the IRS and other creditors. Most importantly, they kept hope alive.
The theater reopened in the summer, and is now midway through what is shaping up as a successful 2009-10 season. It has a new executive director — Mary Ruth Lynn — and its debt load has been nearly wiped out.
For its amazing comeback, the Youngstown Playhouse (for the second year in a row) ranks as The Vindicator’s top entertainment story of the year.
Here’s a look at the other stories that made the biggest mark on the entertainment scene for Mahoning Valley residents.
2. Butler Institute of American Art acquires two major works of art.
In October, the museum received a ceramic wall mural that was created in the 1960s by Pierre Soulages, one of the world’s greatest abstract artists. The mural had been on display in the lobby of a Pittsburgh skyscraper. The museum plans to build a special gallery at its Howland branch to house the piece.
Then, earlier this month, the Butler received another gift — a rare painting by Jackson Pollock, arguably the most influential artist of the 20th century and the founder of the Abstract Expressionism style of art. The $2 million painting, a gift from a collector in Pennsylvania, became the first Pollock in the Butler’s collection, filling a gaping hole.
3. Ed O’Neill has a smash hit.
The Youngstown native stars in “Modern Family,” one of the season’s top new television shows. The show has earned raves from critics and viewers. O’Neill, a graduate of Ursuline High, has acted in many TV shows and films, most famously the Fox sitcom “Married With Children.”
4. Dave Grohl in Warren.
The leader of the Grammy-winning rock band the Foo Fighters came to Warren on Aug. 1 for the renaming of a downtown alley in his honor. Grohl was born in Warren, but moved away as a tot. He visited the city many times over the years to visit his father and family. Grohl, who was also the drummer for seminal rock band Nirvana earlier in his career, played a short set on Courthouse Square during his visit.
5. Refurbishing of Stambaugh Auditorium’s pipe organ begins.
The historic and massive 1926 pipe organ once shook the rafters of the venerable concert hall, but it has been quiet for years. In March, workers began a $1.285 million project to restore the badly damaged instrument to its former glory. The project should take two years.
6. “Harry’s Friendly Service” gets world premiere.
Youngstown, as it was in the late 1970s, is the setting and a character of sorts in “Harry’s Friendly Service,” a play written by Youngstown native Rob Zellers. “Harry’s” premiered in June at the O’Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh, a production of Pittsburgh Public Theater. The play revolves around a group of friends at a downtown Youngstown gas station in the early days of the steel industry’s collapse.
7. Jessica Lange exhibition at the Butler.
The Academy Award-winning actress is also a photographer. She mounted an exhibition of her work in May at the Butler Institute of American Art, and visited the museum May 28 for a gala reception.
8. John Kenley dies.
A theater producer who brought the top actors of the day to Warren’s Packard Music Hall and other theaters throughout the state, Kenley died Oct. 23 at age 103.
9. Covelli Centre.
The four-year-old downtown Youngstown arena formerly known as Chevrolet Centre got a new moniker in April, when local chain- restaurant owner Sam Covelli bought the naming rights. The city-owned arena seemed to turn the corner financially this year, stemming its losses.
10. Richard Dickinson takes over Ballet Western Reserve.
After a quarter-century as artistic director of the downtown school and dance company, Anita Lin ended her relationship with BWR in September. Dickinson, who had been working under Lin during a transitional period, took full command of the reins, and immediately put his stamp on the troupe.