FeedsBeat the Bulldozer
Group hopes The Rocky Horror Show will aid restoration effort
An old classic will come into Wayne this weekend to help restore another old classic.
The Rocky Horror Show will take center stage at the Historic Wayne Theater on Saturday, according to Don Nicholson, capital fundraising chairman for the theater. It’s the latest in an ongoing series of performances designed to generate funds for the restoration of the Historic Wayne Theater, opened in the 1920s and vacant for the past 20 years.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Nicholson of the show.
The show will be a live performance of the classic 1975 film. Put on by the Michigan Rocky Horror Preservation Society, it will feature all the productions and costumes made popular in the original film.
The gates open at 6 p.m. for the show, according to Nicholson. There will be a costume contest—open to anyone—at 7 p.m. and the show will start after that.
All the concerts in the series—titled the ‘Beat the Bulldozer’ concert series—take place outside, so the event is weather permitting. It’ll necessitate a few other changes around the theater west of Wayne Road on Michigan Avenue, as well. Volunteers will be on hand earlier in the day screening the outdoor area from general passersby.
“We feel that the Rocky Horror Show is only appropriate for people 18 and older,” Nicholson said. “We don’t want to offend anyone.”
Nicholson and other volunteers trying to preserve the theater came up with the Beat the Bulldozer concert series concept earlier this year. The concerts take place every Saturday. They begin at 6 p.m. and the cover charge varies. There are also vendors on site. All the proceeds go toward the restoration of the theater.
The name of the series is appropriate, too, Nicholson said because the preservationists face a strict deadline. They have until September of this year to generate enough money to bring the building back up to code—it was cited under the dangerous and blighted building ordinance last year.
Nicholson said the fundraisers have been a mixed success, depending on the performances and weather conditions. A new sign now serves as a backdrop for the stage that shows a conceptual drawing of the fully restored theater. Nicholson said he hopes to have news this week about a sponsor that will bring in enough money to fix all the code violations and allow the theater group to take the next step—developing the structure into a mixed-use building that will include a restaurant and a regional arts center.
“It’s coming along,” Nicholson said.
The following week, music will return in the form of impersonators who will provide their take on classic musicians like Gene Pitney, Buddy Holly and Ray Charles.
“We’re trying to do something for everyone,” Nicholson said.
For more information on the theater and the preservation effort, visit www.historicwaynetheater.com.
