This Macon theater will become ‘more grand’ with $150K marquee update, director says

The marquee that turned night to day on Mulberry Street broke down about a year ago, but now it’s ready to shine again just in time for the Nutcracker of Middle Georgia.

The screen beneath the “Grand Opera House” lettering went dark after several rubber band and homemade fixes made by Bob Mavity, the theater’s senior technical director, said Julia Rubens, the arts marketing director for the Grand Opera House.

It was so old that the company who created it no longer made parts to fix it, she said.

The current marquee was installed in 2009. The project cost $500,000 and featured more than 2,000 light-emitting diode bulbs and a high-resolution digital screen, according to The Telegraph archives.

“It’s become really a central part of the facade as people walk by and see the building,” Rubens said. “The marquee is this really big distinguisher so that you know that it’s not just a bunch of office buildings up above, but this is this big, beautiful, historic theater in here behind all that.”

The original marquee for the grand was taken down in the 1950’s, according to The Telegraph archives.

When the Grand was the Academy of Music, there wasn’t a marquee, Rubens said. Although a marquee was installed, the Grand saw many years with and without one throughout its history.

Before the marquee was installed in 2009, the Grand had a facade that had “Grand Opera House” engraved above the entrance, according to The Telegraph archive photos.

Ruben said the original facade remains behind the current marquee.

Joe Patti, executive director of the Grand Opera House, said the project cost around $150,000 and came primarily from local donors, including the Peyton Anderson Foundation, the Macon Civic Club, Sheridan Construction and Georgia Power.

“We are really aware and cognizant of the fact that so much of the Grand Opera House’s success has been dependent on people rallying to its support, and we really are appreciative of that, and we don’t take that for granted,” he said.

Patti said they plan to display the names of the donors for the new marquee on the screen as well as on a plaque in the Grand.

Ninety percent of the funding will go towards replacing the panels in the digital screen, and the other funds will go towards general maintenance like paint touch-ups, Patti said.

The best part about the new screen is that it comes with a seven year parts and labor warranty, Patti said.

Bobby Wilcox, vice president of sales and installation at the Sign Store, said they had to remove the frame for the old screen and create a new frame for the new panels because they are a different size.

The plan is for the marquee to be up and running on Thursday but they are taking care to ensure it is installed correctly to avoid future problems with the equipment, Wilcox said.

“People will stand in front of the theater and take pictures of themselves with the marquee in the back,” Patti said. “We really feel that that’s kind of part of the whole experience of coming in and watching a show.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 3:06 PM.