Woodlawn Theatre

Woodlawn Theatre

Logo
Address 1920 Fredericksburg Rd
San Antonio, Texas 78201-4439
United States
Owner Kurt and Sherry Wehner
Operator Woodlawn Theatre Inc
Designation City of San Antonio Historic Landmark
Capacity 1,257
Current use Community theatre
Construction
Opened August 17, 1946 (1946-08-17)
Reopened September 6, 2006 (2006-09-06)
Rebuilt 2006, 2012
Architect John Eberson
Website
Venue Website

The Woodlawn Theatre is located in San Antonio, Texas, and is one of the few theaters remaining designed by architect John Eberson. Eberson’s only other work in San Antonio is the Majestic Theatre. The Woodlawn Theatre is designed in an art deco fashion, and was previously a prevalent movie theater, including hosting the world premiere of The Alamo in 1960. As of 2012, it is located in an area of San Antonio featuring buildings designed in art deco fashion known as the Deco District.[1]

History

The Woodlawn Theatre opened in 1946 as an elegant venue for Hollywood films.[2] In 1960, John Wayne hosted the world premiere of his film The Alamo at the Woodlawn.[3] It continued to be an active movie house through the 1960s and 1970s, and was purchased by Santikos Theatres in 1975, but it eventually was forced to shut down.[4] The building remained vacant and slowly deteriorated for a number of years, falling through the hands of many temporary tenants, mostly small theater groups. In 1979, an acting group known as San Antonio Theater Center was housed there.[5] In 1986, the Woodlawn premiered the laser-show tribute to Pink Floyd,[6] while hosting a series of jazz and blues concerts. In 2005, the last temporary tenant known as Actors Theater of San Antonio vacated the property.[5]

In 2006, Jonathan Pennington began leasing the property under the production company name Amphisphere Theatre Productions.[5] With support from the local community, Pennington completely revamped and rebuilt major portions of the Woodlawn Theatre, turning it into a community theatre stage and hosting a number of Broadway-style shows.[7] The Woodlawn Theatre continued to host mostly musical theatre productions during Pennington's tenure, and the production company was eventually renamed to Pennington Productions.[8]

In 2012, Woodlawn Theatre Inc was formed and took primary residency in Woodlawn Theatre. The building is now owned by Kurt and Sherry Wehner.[9] The Woodlawn Theatre's footprint expanded into an adjoining space which became a black box theater, and in 2014, that space became the home of the Classic Theatre of San Antonio.[10][11] The neon marquee was restored in 2012 with the help of city funding,[12] the lobby has been completely restored, and work continues on the outside of the building. The theatre continues to showcase live theatrical productions with an emphasis on musical theatre.

In 2013, Woodlawn Theatre was designated as a City of San Antonio Historic Landmark.[13]


References

  1. "Jefferson Woodlawn Lake Community Lake Development Corp - Located in San Antonio's Deco District". Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  2. "Woodlawn Theatre". The Paisano. The Paisano Educational Trust. November 19, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  3. "Woodlawn Theatre - San Antonio". Arts America. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  4. "History of the theatre". Woodlawn Theatre. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  5. 1 2 3 Sanchez, Sandra Lowe (2006-09-17). "Putting dreams into action - San Antonio Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  6. "History". laserspectacular.com. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
  7. Nicholas, Benjamin (2006-09-19). "San Antonio Current - ARTS: Woodlawn Paradiso". .sacurrent.com. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  8. Edwards, Trudy (2011-11-22). "Pennington Productions << True San Antonio Life". truesanantoniolife.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  9. Martin, Deborah (January 12, 2012). "Woodlawn Theatre partnership dissolving". San Antonio Express-News. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  10. "The Classic Theatre of San Antonio". Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  11. Martin, Deborah (August 7, 2013). "Local arts scene moving and growing". San Antonio Express-News. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  12. Lloyd, Ryan (October 20, 2012). "A 'sign' of neighborhood revitalization at Woodlawn Theatre". KSAT-TV.
  13. "City of San Antonio Official Website - Historic Preservation". Retrieved 2014-02-21.
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