Former Usher Catalogs Palace Jewels Following Theater Restoration

By John Voket

WATERBURY — As a teenager, Louis Belloisy probably never gave much thought to where he would be five decades in the future. He simply moved through life, as most teens do, minding his school lessons and showing up to his part-time job as an usher and ticket-taker at Waterbury’s Palace Theater.

Little did he imagine that his lifelong journey would lead him back to this majestic, grande dame of an auditorium at 100 East Main Street in Waterbury, where Mr Belloisy now heads up a group of volunteer tour guides who, once a month, shuttle interested patrons through the meticulously restored Theater complex.

Besides his work helping “old and new friends” of the Palace better acquaint themselves with the restored facility, the retired meteorologist and helicopter pilot now also serves as the Palace Theater’s official photographer.

In that capacity, he not only has been called to capture images of each of the performances that have hit the boards since the building reopened in the fall of 2004, but to shoot many of the collateral activities, testimonials, banquets and even many of the physical elements of the restoration itself.

Mr Belloisy discussed several key points of the theater’s history, as well as detailing issues related to the multi-million dollar restoration process during a recent media tour he provided to The Newtown Bee.

“This was originally built by Salvatore Poli in April 1922, and it cost $1 million,” Mr Belloisy said gesturing broadly as he stood in the main lobby of the Palace. “It has cost, so far, more than $30 million to restore it.”

The three original crystal chandeliers in the grand lobby, as well as the fourth counterpart in the inner lobby, were removed during the four-year restoration process. Each weighs about 750 pounds and are suspended from the ceilings on pulleys so they can be lowered for cleaning and maintenance.

Besides new railings, which were installed to enhance safety, and several sconce lighting fixtures and draperies, most of the rest of the grand lobby’s features are original and appear as patrons originally viewed them when the building opened in the early 20th Century.

“Back in the old days, the room that now serves as an inner lobby was originally the back of the house,” Mr Belloisy explained. “But by closing off the room and installing a full wall to separate the auditorium from the inner lobby, the addition has served to further improve what was commonly regarded as one of the most acoustically perfect rooms available.”

Moving into the main auditorium and being enveloped in such a huge space where one could still hear a pin drop, our guide illustrated how well the rooms design served to improved the sounds coming from the stage.

“Towards the end of the 1940s and ‘50s, we had Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, the McGuire Sisters and many of the other stars made a stop at the Palace Theater,” Mr Belloisy said. “Back then, there was little or no electronic amplification. The parabolic reflector, or the dome in the center of the ceiling, enhanced the sound from the stage by bouncing the voices from the stage to the balcony.”

Our guide recalled that when Tony Bennett returned to celebrate the recent grand re-opening of the Palace, he wanted to show the sold out audience how well the raw acoustics worked.

“He said, ‘turn off all the microphones, I want to do a song without a mic.’ The distance from the stage to the top of the balcony is about 200 feet, but the patrons up there said they could hear him just as well as when he was singing with the microphone,” Mr Belloisy said.

The theater, when it originally opened, had 3,719 seats. Today the auditorium seats 2,643. The Palace boasts one the largest cantilever balconies in America.

“The only pillars you see for support are in the back of the building,” Mr Belloisy said.

When Mr Poli built the building, he told the architect Thomas Lamb that he wanted to be able to sit in any seat in the building without obstruction, except maybe a lady with a big hat!” Mr Belloisy added.

The Palace Theater’s Executive Director, Fran Tavera, sometimes can’t believe how much has been accomplished in just the 15 months since the theater reopened.

“Over 140,000 people have come through the doors since we opened,” Mr Tavera said. “With about two-thirds of the first full season behind us, we’ve actually had more than 65 presentations on our stage already.”

By the time this article is published, Mr Tavera expected that most of the work in determining the performances to be held during the 2007-08 season will be completed. He pointed out that the program calendars, volunteer opportunities and even ticket sales are available on the theater’s website, PalaceTheaterCT.org.

The Palace is also physically tied to the neighboring Arts Magnet School, not only providing a venue for virtually every performing arts class at the school, but also by providing a working arts educational venue for regional school systems.

Vanessa Logan, who serves as Director of Education and Community Initiatives, plans to include Newtown schools in the theater’s cultural outreach programs.

“The Palace Study Hall-Education Series is an essential part of the K-12 school day,” she said. “This unique program invites students to reflect on their academic lessons in a majestic venue that encourages thought, laughter curiosity and imagination.”

A Palace Theater event ticket obtained by student members with their new Hall Pass can help students make connections to curriculum while igniting creative opinions, constructive criticism and a lifetime appreciation of the arts. All tickets through this initiative are available at a reduced ticket price of $8.

Besides stage shows including A Midsummer Night’s Dream on April 12, Peter and the Wolf  on May 5 being presented by the Connecticut Dance Theatre, and Junie B. Jones on May 19, the Palace is hosting a free Black History Celebration Community Day on Saturday February 25, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Ms Logan said this family program incorporates “dance, theater and music designed to celebrate exhilarate as well as educate participants about various aspects of the African-American experience throughout history.”  The event will feature Costen’s Cultural Exhibit; the Hartford Children’s Theatre; Greater Waterbury arts organizations, music groups and gospel choirs; and the Zig Zag Ballet.

Parents and educators can learn more about this program and other upcoming educational experiences by contacting Ms Logan at 203-755-8483 extension 132 or sending her an email at logan@PalaceTheaterCT.org.