Stamford's Palace Theatre to be closed for summer shows due to renovations
Michael Moran says because of so much outdoor programming in the area, the summer is usually the theater's quiet season anyway, making it a natural time to do the nine-week project, which is being paid for by the city.
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Stamford's Palace Theatre will not be hosting any shows this summer, as it undergoes renovations inside.
"In my opinion, it's critical," said Michael Moran, the theatre's president and CEO.
Crews are already at work restoring the plater around the 98-year-old theater, which Moran says had started falling apart and deteriorating.
"Nobody wants to see flaws in their house," Moran said, "So when people come in here, I don't want them to see something that's not 100%."
The goal is to eventually have it look the way it did when it first opened
"It's putting our best foot forward, we want the public to see an amazing venue when they come here, so it's time - it's time to get this done," says Moran.
Moran says because of so much outdoor programming in the area, the summer is usually the theater's quiet season anyway, making it a natural time to do the nine-week project, which is being paid for by the city.
"I didn't have to take two months out of my busy schedule like October, November," Moran said. "I didn't have the miss having Connecticut ballet come in and do the nutcracker in December so, the starts kind of lined up."
The renovations are only in the auditorium, meaning rest of of the building is pretty much not being impacted.
Because of that, the theatre's annual Triple Threat youth educational program is able to go on as scheduled, for the 12th summer in a row.
"We don't stop the education programs just because we're doing something, we work around it," Moran said.
"Even with the renovations, we're kicking it - we're keeping these kids running around the place, and they're definitely working it every different situation," added Dilian Cantrell, an instructor at the program.
This is just the first of a planned three-part restoration process, with the hope of having the theatre looking as close to new as possible for its 100th birthday in 2027.
