Orpheum Theater Center set for face-lift — inside and out

Even well-maintained buildings require an occasional update.

That’s why changes are coming to the Orpheum Theater Center on North Phillips Avenue, both exterior and interior.

The exterior alteration may receive the most attention currently. Monday, the Sioux Falls Arts Commission and Visual Arts Committee met to select the artist to create a mural that will be placed on the building’s north wall. An announcement is expected later this week, said Maren Engel, arts coordinator with the city of Sioux Falls.

The mural will be applied not with paint but will be a digitally printed vinyl wrap designed to protect the building’s historic facade, Engel said.

“That wall is begging for something to be there, and we wanted to find the right fit,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of research on the material. It’s nice to know that we can pursue something really beautiful but also respect the work historic preservation is doing in our community.”

Interior changes for the Orpheum’s south lobby are in the design stage at Architecture Incorporated, said Scott Rust, the city’s procurement officer. The south lobby has not been renovated since the city took over the building in the early 2000s. The architectural firm also designed the north lobby when the restrooms and the open space were remodeled.

“It’s not a gut-and-redo but a definite face-lift,” Rust said. “It’s mainly to help traffic flow through the facility a lot better. The big round stairway will be removed. It was intended to be used for performances, but it never was, so it will be removed to gain space.”

Changes will include lighting improvements and upgrades to the box office and particularly the concession area. Concessions could be changed to more of a grab-and-go experience, Rust said. The interior design will complement the historic theater building and could incorporate an interior mural that pays homage to the shows seen in the Orpheum, he said.

The carpeting will be replaced, changing it from an office approach to a more historical feel. A change in paint colors will warm the lobby, giving it a more intimate feel.

Currently, the north and south lobbies display stark differences, Rust said. They won’t look the same when the renovation is complete, he said, but will display a similar historic vibe.

Upgrades to the Anne Zabel Actor’s Studio, located in a building constructed in 1949, will include cosmetic changes such as new flooring and wall mirrors. Lighting and sound already have been upgraded in the Zabel space.

“These are things that are needed by the tenants who use the facility to make it more functional,” Rust said.

Work in the south lobby is slated for 2026, and $500,000 has been allocated for the work.

Lobby changes will address the suggestions received from the theater groups who rent the building and from Washington Pavilion Management Inc., the management group that also operates the Washington Pavilion.

“We kind of have a little joke in our office when people call to arrange a date at the Orpheum — it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, it’s so popular,” said Bob Wendland, assistant director of performances.

WPMI took over operation of the Orpheum in 2018, and its popularity has increased since then. The key players who rent the space regularly are The Premiere Playhouse, the Spotlight Theatre Company for children, which the Pavilion oversees, and Lights Up Productions, which offers original musical theater.

“Between those three groups, they are occupying the Orpheum almost every day of the year,” Wendland said. “We have a few weeks sprinkled around between performances that we can fill with touring rental shows. Often, we have tribute bands down there, smaller folk music, indie band concerts, we do comedy — there’s a wide array of things we do down there.”

While the Zabel now is being used for additional backstage and rehearsal space, Wendland hopes to see it converted to be more of a performance space in the next year. With a classroom that can help with rehearsal needs, the Zabel can return to its beginnings as a black-box studio theater.

“The seating and staging can be very malleable,” Wendland said. “You could have 25 (in the audience) and make it feel intimate, or you can make it feel full at 150 people and pack it to the rafters. It’s really adaptable.”

The Live and Local Series, which features local artists and entertainers four Fridays throughout the year, will be moved from the Washington Pavilion to the Orpheum, Wendland said.

He said the Pavilion staff is looking forward to the Orpheum’s renovation project. “We’re excited to bring the Orpheum up to a modern age without sacrificing its historic beauty and all the stories it has to tell. We’re super-excited to continue that legacy and even more excited with the mural project on the north wall. Whatever visual they’re going to be able to create together will quite literally draw more eyes to the Orpheum.”

Adding a mural to the Orpheum’s blank wall offers an opportunity to celebrate Sioux Falls’ creative community, Engel said. A goal from the start has been not only to pursue a mural but also to turn it into a true community project, one that will inspire young people to engage in the performing arts.

“We want to see not only a visual landmark for downtown Sioux Falls, but it could serve as a backdrop for theater performances or concerts,” Engel said. “It will celebrate the marriage of visual and performing arts.”

Whether painted or vinyl, murals are considered temporary art pieces. The mural isn’t intended to last forever, the arts coordinator said. If the project is successful, there will be opportunities to replace it with new designs in future years.

Plans are to have the mural installed “by the time the snow flies,” Engel said. “We’re pushing to make it happen this fall. The artist will hit the ground running to work with kids and the theater community and to build on activities.”

In her year as arts coordinator, Engel said, she has learned that communities support public art the most when they feel ownership. That is why the mural project was designed to involve multiple partners.

“The Orpheum is such an important space for community arts, where a lot of theaters perform, and there are summer campus and kids engaging in activities,” Engel said. “This is a cool opportunity to utilize those groups for a project like that. When it’s completed, a lot of kids can say ‘I got to work with this artist. I got to work on this space.’”

Another change people might notice is that the city already has added a curb ramp and crosswalk in front of the building. Earlier this year, the nonprofit community-based theater group The Premiere Playhouse moved its headquarters from within the Orpheum Theater Center to a space inside the Rock Island Plow Building across Phillips Avenue.

“We’ve received concerns about kids crossing the street there coming to and from the Orpheum,” said Andy Berg, city engineer.