Fulton Theatre sets stage for expansion

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But Marc Robin, the theater’s executive artistic producer, is not so naïve as to believe that all the pieces will come together just right.

“We’re just being very careful of what we’re promising, because until I raise the money for it, and until I endow it, I won’t build it,” said Robin.

Expansion has been on the drawing board for some time and a capital campaign is quietly underway, Robin noted.

Over the last two decades, Lancaster has been transformed with the addition of a new hotel and convention center, the birth of Gallery Row on North Prince Street, a slew of new restaurants and the redevelopment of the old Bulova building. During that time, the Fulton has been slowly buying and saving to buy the whole block, including West King, North Prince, North Water and West Grant streets, which it now owns.

After 17 years of work, the last piece of the puzzle finally came into place two weeks ago after the Victorian theater acquired what was formerly Rita’s Italian Ice, at the corner property, which Robin described as the linchpin of the project.

Lancaster County-based architect Wendy Tippetts, of Tippetts Weaver Architects, had originally designed around it.

“Before we had that piece, it was like a thumb in the middle of the block where we had to circulate around the building,” Tippetts said. “It’s a wonderful project for us, we’re very excited about it.”

The first phase of construction is slated to begin in July. The $8 million project will revitalize the corridor on King Street, convert it into actors’ apartments, clean up the theater’s facades, bust out stage right, update sound and lighting systems, expand the lobby to build more bathrooms, and add a modern fly system that can move heavy set pieces with the touch of a button.

To finish phase one, not much more fundraising is needed, and Robin is confident that the project will be moving forward as planned.

Businesses situated near the Fulton stand to reap some rewards from the expansion.

Brittany Doughtery, manager of Prince Street Café, said it expects a larger influx in patrons as a result of the expansion. Even now, Doughtery said it’s obvious when there’s a show.

“I schedule a little bit more people to come into work when it’s the Fulton’s on-season. If it’s off-season and then there’s a show, we can feel it.” Doughtery said.

The impact of phase one alone looks promising, but the show doesn’t stop there. A second act may be just around the corner.

Robin calls the second phase the “big dream.” He declined to share details other than to note that a tower will be built to connect two of the Fulton’s buildings together and seats will be restored.

“I would love for you to be able to quote me on phase two, but I can’t,” Robin said. “It’s significant. I can say it’s a $20 million-plus project for the big dream, and once we’ve raised the funds, it will be another year and a half.”

Robin hopes to preserve the theater’s Victorian aesthetic but to add a modern sensibility, to honor the past but to bring it into the future, to make it warm and inviting, and to pay homage to the people who created the building at the turn of the century.

“I’m so excited about it and scared about it because it’s a lot,” Robin said, quoting the musical “Into the Woods”: “Careful of the things you wish for, wishes come true, not free.”

Robin said he could relate to the lyric because he can dream it, but he still has to raise money for it — and building it doesn’t mean it’s going to be successful.

That’s why the Fulton’s efforts include raising a $5 million endowment, $2 million of which has already been raised.

For now, the Fulton is relying mostly on private philanthropy, including individual and corporate grants, until it rolls out plans publicly in September.

The theater will accept support from anybody who wants to be involved but it is not seeking any donations outside of Lancaster or its surrounding communities.

“I want this community to own this theater,” Robin said. “I want there to be hundreds of people, even if they give $25, who feel they have ownership in what this is going to be forever. I’d much rather have that than to have one person write me a check for $10 million.”

Last year, the Fulton Theatre was the beneficiary of a $4 million state grant under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The grant was the first tip-off to the community that major changes were in the works at the Fulton.

Applying for the grant was a calculated decision because Robin said a lot is at stake if the Fulton doesn’t expand.

Among his priorities is the comfort of the audience. Anybody who has been to a sold-out show at the Fulton knows using the bathroom at intermission is a pipe dream.

With an almost 700-seat house, the Fulton’s lobby can only accommodate around 400 people.

“The lines to the bars now are enormous. We’re taking 25-minute intermissions just to accommodate that,” Robin said.

And artistic growth is at stake.

The Fulton is still using an antiquated hemp and sandbag fly system, meaning that stagehands must jump off boxes to get enough momentum to pull up set pieces between scenes.

“So what’s at stake is their backs,” Robin said.

An updated fly system will allow the theater to host more events, like an international theater festival, for example. As things stand, it would be almost impossible for the Fulton’s main stage to host more than one show at a time because all the set pieces would have to be disassembled and re-rigged.

“What’s at stake is the ability to continue to compete in an ever-changing market of theater where technology now plays a part of it,” Robin said.

Not to mention, the theater is busting at the seams. And some of it actually needs to be busted out.

Walls in off-stage areas on either side of the main stage restrict the size, scale and scope of sets that the theater can build. Because of the walls, there is not enough room to store or move large set pieces.

Robin said building Broadway-sized sets wasn’t always necessary but since the Fulton is now at the Broadway scale, it must be able to build sets at the Broadway level.

“And the growth of the organization is at stake. Nobody wants to be told, ‘OK, you’ve gone as far as you can go,’” Robin said.

What will not be expanded is the stage footprint or the number of house seats. In fact, Robin’s end goal is to decrease the number of seats.

“I know it’s show business, but you also want to make sure that the intimacy of this theater never gets lost,” Robin said.

Like any good performer, the former Bob Fosse dancer takes his role as a steward of the Fulton seriously.

“It is not my building. It’s just my job to try to create the art in a way that will bring as many people to our community as possible,” Robin said with a smile. “I don’t want the theatre to ever feel like it’s growing away from the community. This theater was built by the community, so it’s important that we continue to respect and honor and grow that, as well.”