OBERLIN - Renovations at the Apollo Theatre begin next month and include a digital projector, new sound system and a new indoor ticket booth, according to an official at Oberlin College, which purchased the historic theater this year through a subsidiary.

Renovations begin July 1, and the Apollo will remain a single-screen theater, according to a news release. The last day for shows will be June 30.

The theater will reopen Sept. 30, when the project is scheduled for completion, according to Sandra Hodge, college spokeswoman.

Long-term ticket prices are still being determined. The owner, College Properties of Oberlin, is committed to continuing to show films at $3 at least one day each week, according to college spokesman Scott Wargo. Tickets are now $3 with a bargain price of $2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Phase one initiatives will include:

• Improvements in the lobby.

• A new concession area, including updated equipment and storage space.

• A new indoor ticket booth that will meet current theater standards and better accommodate the spectrum of generations that visit the Apollo.

• Replacement of existing restrooms with new facilities that meet Ohio building code and ADA standards.

• A new office for the theater manager.

• Installation of a digital projector and a new sound system.

The college subsidiary hired Cleveland Cinemas to manage the theater, which added daily afternoon matinees and occasional weekend midnight showings of cult classics to its existing evening schedule of current films.

The second phase of renovations is likely to include upgrades to the seats and changes that would allow the theater to serve as a performance space and venue for community events.

On its Web site, Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov said the college was committed to keeping the Apollo a single-screen theater as long as economically feasible. He wrote that a small second screen may be added in another part of the building for screening of work by film studies students.

Phase two will not begin for at least a year, according to Hodge.

To support the second phase of the project, a Friends of the Apollo organization with local and national members has been formed. Among those involved in the group are husband-wife actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, filmmaker Jonathan Demme, local arts advocates Kevin Flanigan and Jaqui Willis, and Oberlin alumni Elizabeth Ignat-Bausch ‘91 and Justin Ignat-Bausch ‘90.

Hodge said the rehabilitation of the Apollo Theatre will meet eligibility requirements for Federal and Ohio historic rehabilitation tax credits.

She said the college will be working closely with preservationists to meet the Federal Park Services historic preservation standards, and it hopes to create an exhibit in the lobby that will celebrate the Apollo’s extensive history.

The Apollo, 19 E. College St., was owned for many years by twin brothers William and Sandy Steel.

Because it was purchased by a college subsidiary, the theater will remain on the city of Oberlin’s tax rolls.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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