The Bama Theatre is Tuscaloosa's performing arts center. Its development is the result of a unique cooperation between the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority. It is located on the corner of Sixth Street and Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa.

Early history

The Bama Theatre was originally constructed in 1937 through FDR's New Deal as a Public Works Administration project. The combination City Hall/Theatre was designed by Birmingham architect D.O. Whilldin, who also designed other historically significant buildings in the Tuscaloosa downtown area. The Bama Theatre began its life on April 12, 1938, as a movie theatre. The theatre was one of the last movie palaces built in the South. The building is an odd but interesting mixture of Art Deco/Moderne style popular during the period and the lavish "atmospheric" style of theatre architecture popular in the 1920s. Decorated in the Moorish style of Renaissance Spain, the interior of the Bama Theatre is actually a reproduction of the courtyard of the Davanzati Palace of Florence, Italy. The entire orchestra and balcony sections are decorated as a Spanish courtyard, complete with faux balconies and ironwork. Twinkling stars and clouds on the night sky complete the open air feel of the performance hall.

Renovation

The Theatre was converted to a performing arts center in 1976 and has been completely renovated for live theatrical/concert use. With the arrival of theatre manager David Allgood in 2003, The Bama has become a sought-after venue for national and international touring artists. Allgood has brought Joan Baez, Aimee Mann, Ryan Adams, Drive-By-Truckers and many other A-List artists to The Bama in the past couple of years. Aimee Mann pronounced The Bama concert as "the best show we've done on this tour(2008)" - which included NYC, Boston, London, Copenhagen, etc. Her band said they had never been treated so well at any venue.

Allgood also revamped the movie fare at The Bama, creating the Cinema Nouveau Film Series, featuring independent, foreign, and documentary movies. Past screenings have included "The Triplets of Belleville," "Dogville," "Shut Up and Sing," "Capote," and the world premier of John Sayles' "Honeydrippers, " which was filmed in Alabama. Sayles attended the one-night screening, which drew an audience of nearly 900 people.

The Bama continues to be the premier performing arts venue in Tuscaloosa, boasting over 300 nights per year of concerts, movies, dance, and live theatre.

Performance groups

The Bama Theatre is home to several performance groups from Tuscaloosa and the surrounding area. Tuscaloosa Childrens Theatre and Tuscaloosa Community Dancers occupy the Theatre 2-3 times a year each and entertain packed houses with every show. The newly formed The Act or Actors' Charitable Trust performs 3-4 shows yearly and gives at least 33% of their proceeds to a selected charity. The Theatre is also home to several dance school end-of-year recitals including The Dance Centre and The Academy of Ballet and Jazz. Tuscaloosa Academy Players have also enjoyed great success with their productions in this historic space.

External links

• http://www.bamatheatre.com
• http://www.tuscarts.org/bamatheatre.html