A century old theatre will reopen to the public next week.
According to the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, after two years of being closed because of safety issues and then renovations, the 107-year-old historic theatre will reopen to the public on April 1 for tours, rentals and events.
Executive Director Susan Cantine-Maxson say “this is an exciting day for us to get that official stamp of approval from the city, Our Certificate of Occupancy”. It means that the theatre can immediately begin booking events and tours once again.
The first events scheduled for the theatre include the last program of the Concordia Concert Association on April 7, a dance recital on April 13 and Teens for Christ on April 19. May 3 will be a concert featuring the Green Spirit Band with Linda Chubbuck, Max Pruitt,, Mattson & Weaver, & Stan Slaughter.
The Brown Grand will host a Grand Re-Opening Open House on May 4 from 2-4 at the theatre. This will be a time when people can go backstage, tour the theatre, and visit with Brown Grand Board members about the renovation process. There will be a short slide show of the project at 2:00 followed by refreshments and tours.
May 10 will be the first Brown Grand Event featuring Joseph Hall’s Rock ‘n’ Remember Tribute to Elvis. Hall is a finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and a featured performer at the Americana Theatre in Branson MO. Tickets will go on sale on April 7 and may be purchased in advance at the theatre at 310 W 6th, reserved by phone or purchased on line at www.browngrand.org. The Brown Grand is asking that those who received free tickets as a thank you for donations limit their use to two tickets per event. Those tickets are redeemable for a value of $15 .
A schedule of all upcoming events will be posted on the Brown Grand website: www.browngrand.org
Guided tours and self-guided tours are available Tuesday through Friday from 10-4 (closed over the noon hour). Admission to the Brown Grand for a self-guided tour is $2; guided tours take approximately 40 minutes and are $5.
Groups interested in renting the Brown Grand can contact the theatre for more information about rental rates and availability at [email protected] or 785 243 2553.
The final touches of cleaning will be Sunday, March 30 at 1:30 if volunteers would like to help put on the final touches before the theatre opens to the public.
Cantine-Maxson said, “If the weather permits, outside work such as trimming grasses, raking out leaves, and putting down mulch will be a priority. If people can bring their own tools, that would be a plus. We also need to finish up dusting and putting things on shelves in the basement. We have plenty of dust rags for that. We are in need of more shelving if anyone has any they want to give us.”
