Olney Theatre Center Begins Renovations, Stage To Get New Name

OLNEY, MD — Olney Theatre Center has begun construction on the overhaul of its 1938 Original Theatre and announced that upon completion, the venue will be renamed the Bernard Family Theatre, in recognition of a $1 million gift from philanthropist Cathy Bernard.

A dedication ceremony will be held once construction is complete in the fall.

“The beginning of construction marks an important point in our campaign,” Olney Theatre Executive Director Debbie Ellinghaus said. “We have taken the next steps in rehabilitating and transforming a treasured centerpiece of our campus that carries a storied history of some of the industry’s most celebrated artists.”

The theater will be transformed into a “flexible performance space that better meets the needs of our community for shows, events, and gatherings of all kinds,” Ellinghaus said.

After 86 years, the theater “desperately needs a makeover,” she added.

The theater has raised more than 85 percent of the funds needed to complete the project.

The renovated Bernard Family Theatre will be a fully flexible performance space, as suited for immersive performances as for lectures, meetings, concerts, and banquets.

Artistic Director Jason Loewith said the “aspiration for this rejuvenated space is to make it a worthy inheritor of the original theatre that saw legends like Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Olivia De Havilland, Tony Randall, Bob Fosse, and Sir Ian McKellan tread its boards.”

All phases of construction have been overseen by the architecture firm EskewDumezRipple with general contracting by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.