Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Bouson. He and his team share their story with us below:
The Ohio Theatre had been closed to the general public for over 10 years. Prior to its closure, it was a very popular gathering place for the entire Lima Community. Additionally, it was a major regional draw which attracted folks from the surrounding communities, cities, and towns. A successful re-birth and re-opening of The Ohio Theatre Lima would have significant social, cultural, and economic benefits to the entire community as well as serve as the crown jewel in the ongoing City’s, Entrepreneur, and not-for-profit agencies’ and groups’ ongoing efforts to revitalize the Downtown Lima District.
The Ohio Theatre in Downtown Lima, a historic Movie Palace, and Vaudeville Theatre built-in 1927 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Due to years of neglect, the building has fallen into a state of chronic disrepair. Friends of the Ohio Theatre (a 501c3 charity) is partnering with PLAYWITHYOURFOOD LCC (Michael Bouson and Joe Correll) the new owners of the property to restore this grand old dame to her former glory and re-open it as a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Venue that will serve the Greater Lima Region for another 100 years. Most of the structural repairs have already been completed. Still to come are additional plaster repair, painting, wallpapering, carpeting, wood flooring, tile flooring, masonry tuckpointing, concrete repair and replacement, door and window replacement, and/or restoration, and additional HVAC upgrades.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Michael Bouson is a lifelong lover of the Arts. In fact, his Senior Thesis in High School was on the origins of Hollywood and Broadway. Michael became well acquainted with the wonders of Ohio during his 4 years at Miami University in Oxford, OH graduating with a BA in Theatre. Having worked in Live Theatre and Television most of his adult life (including ten years on Broadway) he has experienced firsthand how live entertainment can transform the lives of both those who create it and those who enjoy it from the comfort and safety of their chair in the audience. As a one-time Executive chef and Caterer in Manhattan, Bouson is well-versed in the wonders of how much amazing food can do to enhance theatre-goers’ experience. He met Correll while starring in a production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre in Nashville, TN in 1988 and they have been partners in crime ever since! Joe Correll, also a theatre, restaurant, and TV professional, is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BFA in Theatre. He has worked most recently as an Executive Producer for many of your favorite TV Shows.
Lima already supports a vibrant Arts community which includes their own symphony orchestra, a part-time community theatre, a part-time professional theatre, and a number of small poetry and dance groups (all of whom need a space to perform in). A restored and refurbished Ohio Theatre would provide a space for those in the Arts Community to hone their craft, learn new skills, and express themselves to a broad and diverse audience which is thirsting for regularly scheduled, well-crafted diversions which enlighten, entertain, and educate. Michael returned to Ohio from NYC and Los Angeles with his partner Joe Correll to tackle this monumental project as Michael’s 88-year-old father lives in Akron, Ohio, and suffers from Macular Degeneration. It is his sincere wish to complete this project while he is still able to see it come to life.
The theatre is over 20,000 square feet in size so it will take an equally monumental plan to breathe new life into this historic gem. Fortunately, Bouson and Correll had over a year to come up with a plan they think will be just the ticket! Work will need to be in stages as will the opening of each individual operation due to budget and their bandwidth to manage it all! Having been hard at work with the assistance of a jack of all trades and Lima local Kevin Tisher for over 20 months, they are nearly complete with Phase One of their restoration efforts.
Bouson and Correll have their work cut out for themselves to not only restore the theatre but to augment the space with their food service operations in order to finance their artistic endeavors. They formed the 501c3 corp called “Friends of The Ohio Theatre” to assist with fundraising, tax credits, and grants for the restoration work only.
The Theatre proper originally seated 1800 patrons in the Orchestra, Loges, Mezzanine, and Balcony. All of the seats were removed from the Orchestra when the Theatre was converted into a Disco in 1978. The seats in the Loges and most of the balcony were also removed at some point. The Mezzanine still has its seats, but it is really too dangerous to seat anyone there as the railing is not tall enough to prevent accidents, so they will focus on the Orchestra Level only for the time being.
In the Orchestra, they will not be re-installing theatre seats rather, they will be seating their audience at tables and chairs. (Approximately 300 persons). The Rear Orchestra has already been converted to a bar/lounge area with tables and chairs which they will reimagine as a piano bar called “The Stage Door Canteen” to be open when the Main Theatre is closed (and after every performance for meet and greets and mingling with the cast.) Food Service will be part of the programming in all areas with the Dinner Theatre serving a buffet of International Comfort Foods.
In the Basement are the original dressing rooms from when the Theatre was on the Vaudeville Circuit. These all need MAJOR renovations. The large Chorus Dressing Room will be divided into Men’s and Women’s Chorus Dressing Rooms, and then there are 5 Star Dressing Rooms as well as a 4 – 6 person ‘Second Banana’ Dressing Room. These Dressing Rooms will all have sinks in them. Additionally, there is orchestra pit access, a Men’s Restroom (they will convert one stall into a shower), and a Women’s Restroom (it also will get a shower.)
In the front of the Theatre at Street Level are two 600 square foot Retail Spaces flanking the large lobby on either side. The space on the East Side will become their Commercial Kitchen with Employee Bathroom, Locker Room, Pantry Storage, and Walk-in Cooler/freezer in the Basement. The Space on the West Side is being transformed into “The Playwright Bakery and Cafe” with prep/storage area in the rear and Employee Bathroom and Theatre Offices in the Basement.
On the Second Floor above the two Retail Spaces AND The Lobby is currently “The Ohio Room.” This 2700 square foot space includes Men’s and Women’s Restrooms and will be renovated into a Rehearsal/Classroom Studio and Black Box performance space called “The Avante Garage Studios.”
Future development includes “Dillinger’s” (a second-floor Speakeasy with a cutout to the interior lobby below and a gorgeous 30-foot-long antique Art Deco Bar).
Programming for The Ohio Theatre Lima will include annual seasons of The Avante Garage’s Original Musicals and Comedies as well as smaller touring productions, Live Music Acts (Country, Pop, Rock, Classical), Dance Performances, Seasonal Themed Special Events and will be available for rent to all regional arts presenters, corporations and community organizations. Additionally, all of The Ohio Theatre’s individual spaces will be available to rent for Meetings and Special Events with or without catering. All Theatre Operations will be managed by “Play With Your Food LLC,” which is owned by Bouson and Correll.
Founded as an Improv/Sketch Comedy Troupe in 1984 by Michael Bouson, The Avante Garage Theatre Company is known for a number of “Firsts”! In addition to coining the phrase “Nashvegas,” The Avante Garage Improv/Sketch Comedy show became the longest-running Professional Show in Nashville. Later, Joe Correll came on board as Co-Artistic Director, and the company created and produced the longest-running Professional Audience Participation Murder Mystery “Fatal Follies of ’23!” at Crawdaddy’s Restaurant also in Nashville. In 1992, Bouson and Correll opened The Avante Garage Dinner Theatre with creative and business partners Jamey Green and Kathy Shepard, becoming the first professional Dinner Theatre to produce all Original Plays and Musicals exclusively. Along the way, The Avante Garage won four First Night Awards (the Nashville equivalent of Los Angeles’ Ovation Awards) and scored a number of high-profile bookings at Vanderbilt University, Scene Three Productions, Actor’s Playhouse, The Nashville Symphony, Opryland Hotel, and the World-Famous Exit/Inn. In 1994, Bouson and Correll moved to New York City, where the Avante Garage produced the first Equity Showcase of their new musical “The Melancholy Dane!” at the acclaimed Circle in the Square Theatre and a revival of “The Speakeasy” at Danny’s Skylight Room Cabaret. Most recently The Avante Garage produced a successful 4-week run of Joe Correll’s “The Favorite” at The Avery Schreiber Playhouse in Los Angeles.
As renovations and fundraising continue, Bouson and Correll are hoping to open “The Stage Door Canteen” this summer followed by an early Fall opening for “The Playwright Bakery and Cafe” and a late Fall opening for the Main Stage Dinner Theatre. “Dillinger’s” and “The Avante Garage Studios” will open in mid to late 2023.
For more information on The Ohio Theatre, Friends of The Ohio Theatre, and/or The Avante Garage Theatre, company please visit: www.ohiotheatrelima.com.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have had lots of struggles along the way, especially the devastating effects of COVID19. The Pandemic not only disrupted supply chains making finding materials and workers difficult if not impossible at times, it slowed down our loan processes which continued to postpone work. Additionally, there was a number of undisclosed issues with the property that needed to be addressed before work could continue. The biggest issues were a very bad leaking roof which should have been replaced 30 years ago. That created the longest delay as we couldn’t really start restoration in earnest until the roof was replaced. We spent the ten months it took to get the roof work completed cleaning out the entire property of 95 years of “junk,” filling over 12 dumpsters and recycling over 14 tons of metal items!
We have had lots of struggles along the way, especially the devastating effects of COVID19. The Pandemic not only disrupted supply chains making finding materials and workers difficult if not impossible at times, it slowed down our loan processes which continued to postpone work. Additionally, there was a number of undisclosed issues with the property that needed to be addressed before work could continue. The biggest issues were a very bad leaking roof which should have been replaced 30 years ago. That created the longest delay as we couldn’t really start restoration in earnest until the roof was replaced. We spent the ten months it took to get the roof work completed cleaning out the entire property of 95 years of “junk,” filling over 12 dumpsters and recycling over 14 tons of metal items!
Fundraising struggles remain the largest barrier to progress as we are not skilled as fundraisers, and we spend all of our time with hands-on efforts to restore and remodel the theatre. We are attempting to put together a strong Board for the charity who will hopefully help with the fundraising efforts so we can complete the restoration and the entire community can once again gather and enjoy the beauty and classic artistry of this truly miraculous temple of the Arts.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
We know we will succeed in our efforts because both of us are smart and creative and do not know how to give up. We are stubborn, determined and will do whatever it takes to achieve our vision for The Ohio Theatre and for Lima. Having the good fortune of traveling all over the world as Television Producers we feel we truly appreciate great art, culture and food and are singularly positioned to serve up the perfect blend of all three to the Greater NorthWestern Ohio region.
We know we will succeed in our efforts because both of us are smart and creative and do not know how to give up. We are stubborn, determined and will do whatever it takes to achieve our vision for The Ohio Theatre and for Lima. Having the good fortune of traveling all over the world as Television Producers we feel we truly appreciate great art, culture and food and are singularly positioned to serve up the perfect blend of all three to the Greater NorthWestern Ohio region.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ohiotheatrelima.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOhioTheatreLima
Image Credits
Grant Palmer Photography
Michael Bouson
Joe Correll
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Steve Parlato
August 11, 2022 at 3:47 pm
A wonderful piece on two incredibly gifted creatives with a solid vision and commitment to bringing that vision to life! As a longtime friend and fan of Correll and Bouson, I can’t wait to see their magic come to life in Lima. I look forward to visiting soon!