Saenger Theater News Stories

11-04-2000
   Saenger Restoration

THE GRAND OPENING OF THE SAENGER THEATER WILL BE THIS WEEK. KELLY HIGDON FOSTER STOPPED BY THE THEATRE TODAY AND GIVES US AN UPDATE ON ITS RENOVATIONS. AFTER 18 MONTHS OF RENOVATION AND RESTORATION, THE SAENGER THEATER IN HATTIESBURG WILL UNVEILED TO THE PUBLIC THIS WEEK. "we're anxiously awaiting the delivery of the new sign it left tuscaloosa at 10:30 this morning we expected at two o'clock this afternoon. It's been down a number of years...it cost 17-thousand, and it was paid for by private funds." ARCHITECTS AND CITY LEADERS HAVE WORKED HARD TO BRING THE THEATRE BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL STATE, A LOOK THAT DATES BACK TO 1929. "here at the end of these row of seats, these end standards were handpainted to meet the exact design of what they were back in the 1920's." AND THATS NOT ALL, THE ARTWORK ON THE CEILINGS, THE WALLS, ALL THE DETAILED WORK IS ALL A REMINDER OF WHAT THE THEATER LOOKED LIKE 71 YEARS AGO. "WHY DID YA'LL DECIDE TO DO THIS. It's a 1920's building the only other thing was to make a parking lot out of it...and there's too much history here to let any of that happen." WITH THE NEW SIGN ON THE WAY AND THE NEW RESTORED LOOK, CITY OFFICIALS HOPE THIS WILL BRING NEW LIFE INTO THIS OLD THEATER. KELLY HIGDON FOSTER, NEWS7 THE GRAND OPENING IS NOVEMBER 10TH AND 11TH. THE OPENING PERFORMANCE IS "VERY VAUDEVILLE...SAENGER FOLLIES FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM".

11-07-2000
   Saenger Finishing Touches

WORKERS ARE PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON THE NEWLY RENOVATED SAENGER THEATRE IN DOWNTOWN HATTIESBURG. A REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL SAENGER THEATRE SIGN WENT UP THIS MORNING IN PREPARATION FOR THIS WEEKEND'S RE OPENING. THE SAENGER WAS OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN 1929 AND HAS UNDERGONE AT LEAST TWO FACLIFTS OVER THE YEARS. THE SIGN WAS BUILT BY KNIGHT SIGNS IN TUSCALOOSA AT A COST OF 17,000 DOLLARS. DONATIONS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR PAID FOR THE SIGN.

11-09-2000
   Saenger Theater

THE NEWLY RESTORED SAENGER THEATER HAS BEEN CALLED THE CROWN JEWEL OF HATTIESBURG. AND TONIGHT THAT JEWEL IS SHINING BRIGHT... AS THE CITY PREPARES A HISTORICAL GRAND RE-OPENING OF A THEATER AFTER AN EXTENSIVE RESTORATION PROJECT. OUR JOHN BROWN JOINS US LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN.FOR THOSE THAT KNEW IT IN ITS EARLY 20TH CENTURY GLORY, IT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO SEE HATTIESBURG'S SAENGER THEATER TARNISHED BY TIME. AND NOW MAYOR ED MORGAN HOPES THIS FOUR MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT WILL RESTORE THE HUB CITY'S EPICENTER OF ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT. MAYOR MORGAN CONTRACTORS PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAILS DURING THE RESTORATION OF THE SANGER FROM , A REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL SIGN OUTSIDE, TOO ISLE LIGHTING INSIDE, FROM LADY SAENGER ABOVE, TO THE ORIGINAL THEATER ORGAN.... ALL IN HOPES OF GIVING VISITORS A BLAST OF NOSTALGIA.....LARRY ALBERT THE SAENGER THEATER WAS BUILT IN 1929 FOR 250 THOUSAND DOLLARS BUT WOULD NOW COST BETWEEN 18 AND 20 MILLION DOLLARS TODAY TO BUILD. MEMBERS OF THE HISTORICAL DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION SAY THE THEATER WILL BE A CORNERSTONE IN THE HEART OF THE HUB CITY...

[from WDAM TV-7 News]