Little Theatre Vestibule Becoming Work of Art

When the patrons for the sold-out productions walked in the front door of the recently, they knew something new was happening – and it had nothing to do with the actors inside.

The old firehouse, converted into a popular downtown theater, is getting a new face. The long-awaited glass vestibule in the front entrance is under construction.

The 12-foot-tall glass panels are being custom built now. The two industrial-looking front doors, long an eyesore, will soon be stained mahogany to match the trim around the doors. And a new original bronze sculpture depicting the theme of Comedy and Tragedy by local artist Elaine Daly is ready to grace the top of the doors.

For years people walked by the theater on School Street without really noticing it.

“Now people walk by and say, 'What's going on with the theater,'” said Charles Gessner, the chairman of the board.

The theater's new vestibule, named for the W. Bradford Ingalls Charitable Foundation, will be completed in August in time to protect theater-goers and performers from the wind, rain and snow. But the glass vestibule, which will also create a sound and light barrier for the performances just inside the doors, will be much more. It will be a work of art itself.

Daly, whose harbor mosaic work has entertained Marblehead High School students and staff for years, was asked by Gessner to produce a work of art for above the entrance doors.

“There was all this space. It needed something special,” Gessner said.

Long a fan of Daly's work, Gessner paid for art work himself.

Unlike the mosaic at the high school, this Daly sculpture will feature the faces of actors in the traditional comedy and tragedy theme. The hair on the actors is done in an art deco style, she said.

The sculpture will also have three stars. When asked what they signify, Daly thought a minute and said, “Of course, the past, present and future.”

Vestibule will shut out light, sound and weather.

The vestibule is 11 feet wide and eight feet deep. It will eliminate the problems caused by the direct entrance into the theater. Light and sound, plus the weather, would come pouring into the theater every time the front door was opened.

MLT has raised and invested more than $1.5 million in the three-story, 6,980 square foot building to make it completely handicapped accessible and to comply with modern safety code requirements. MLT purchased the abandoned building from the town in 2000.

Two major projects remain -- the replacement of the 12 boarded up windows in the former hose drying tower and the construction of a second floor bath.

The second and third floors are used for rehearsals, meetings and MLT’s Children’s Theatre program, as well as storage for costumes and stage props. The third floor also contains the building’s mechanical systems.

The MLT board chose to name the vestibule for the Ingalls Foundation because of its financial support for the past five years. The foundation's contributions paid for the elevator, the second-floor renovation and the vestibule. The board has named only one other section of the theater – The Falk Studio on the second floor honors Nora and Alexander Falk.

The Little Theatre is operated by an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that has produced plays and musicals for more than 55 years.

The theater features 92 seats and can be used for a variety of purposes. The space can be rented out for events and by other theater groups. Rental information is available on the website at www.mltlive.com.

Donations to the Firehouse Renovation Fund may be made directly to MLT at 12 School Street or on the website. Engraved bricks for the terrace are available for $150 and a few theatre chairs are still available and can be purchased for $250 (an engraved plaque is attached to the back of the chair.)