Work will begin soon to convert the historic Emery Theater into the new home of the Children's Theatre of Cincinnati. The organization held a ceremonial chain-cutting ceremony Tuesday to mark the beginning of construction.
"Many have tried to renovate the Emery Theater without much success, and I am happy to say that we officially purchased the building on Dec. 22 of 2023," Kim Kern, managing director and CEO, announced Tuesday morning, standing outside the theater on Walnut Street in Over-the-Rhine.
Rather than toss shovelfuls of dirt, onlookers tossed blue and silver "fairy dust" (aka confetti) as an actor dressed as Peter Pan and Artistic Director Roderick Justice used bolt cutters to remove a chain across the theater doors.
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Kern says the celebration is a bit of a homecoming since the Children's Theatre performed in the Emery Theater from 1948 to 1969. This expansion, she says, will mean the theatre will be able to offer a lot more programming.
"We only have 40 days [a year] at the Taft Theatre. Now will have year-round programming. We'll be able to do expanded programming in terms of age groups — theater for very young children, under the age of four, or theater for middle-schoolers, that has messages that are socially relevant to where they are in their lives. We also want to be able to present shows, not always produce them, and bring in international children's theater groups that have never been to Cincinnati."
Demolition is slated to begin this week. Construction is estimated to take about 18 months, wrapping up in late spring or early summer of 2025 and then opening in fall 2025. Kern says the theatre has raised about $46 million toward the current price tag of $51 million.
The Children's Theatre is selling naming rights for seats in the new space, but, Kern explains, with a bit of a twist. In addition to a family name, donors can submit a scanned signature of a child or grandchild.
"Then 35 years from now, that child can come back to the theater with their children and say 'Look, here's mommy or daddy's signature when I was five.'"
About the Emery Theater
The auditorium, located at Walnut Street and Central Parkway, was commissioned by Mary Emery and built by the famous architecture firm Samuel Hannaford & Sons in 1911, opening in January 1912. It was originally the auditorium for a trade school, the Ohio Mechanic Institute.
The auditorium was hailed for its near perfect acoustics and unobstructed sight lines. It has been home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and hosted numerous famed performers including Bette Davis, dancer Anna Pavlova, and composer George Gershwin, who played his famous "Rhapsody in Blue" there with the CSO shortly after its New York debut. Eleanor Roosevelt and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are among other dignitaries to have graced the Emery's stage.
Over the years, the theater fell into disrepair. Previous attempts to purchase, rent or rehabilitate the space weren't successful.
Editor's note: The Emery Theater has been referred to using both the British and American spellings. WVXU has historically tended to use the British spelling. Per guidance from The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, the Emery shall be spelled with the American spelling moving forward. You can read more about the difference between the two on the theater website, Backstage.
