Theater brings people together. Where else can you sit in a dark room with a bunch of strangers and all dream about the same thing? Movies are great, too, but there is something about live theater that hits differently. There is more connection, no false moments. It’s real.
Shreveport offers several different theater experiences, but the most historic venue for sharing one of these experiences is, without a doubt, The Strand Theatre. The Shreveport staple will be celebrating its 100-year anniversary starting this summer.
Jenifer Hill has been the Executive Director of the Strand for a little over a decade, and she says they have some exciting things planned for the Centennial Celebration: “We plan on having cake at every Strand-presented show. “We are planning a Centennial Black and Blue Ball, as well, where people can wear either a black tie or blue jeans. “We hope to include an art exhibit in the celebration, too.” Currently in its 39th season as a performing arts venue, the Strand will on June 20 announce its lineup for Season 40. Former managing and artistic director of Shreveport Little Theatre, Dr. Bobby Darrow, reminisces about the early days of the groundbreaking theatre: “The Strand is seminal to my life, as my father’s dad was the construction foreman on that magnificent theatre, truly a historic temple of the Arts,” says Darrow. “As a Centenary Theatre Major, I was involved with the clean-out of the theatre in the late 1970s, after it had been shuttered for years.
“I salvaged a Vaudeville sign-in board from the trash dumped into the back alley, which is now displayed at The Strand. I knew the theatre was originally built as a vaudeville house featuring vaudeville acts on the circuit.”
So, how did The Strand come about? Way back in 1900, the Saenger brothers, who were sons of a local rabbi and owners of a drug store in downtown Shreveport, got together with the Ehrlich brothers, who owned a theater on Milam Street. For their first adventure, the four decided to go all in and open the Saenger Theatre on Milam.
A couple of decades later, The Strand would become the “mothership” of all the Saenger enterprises, which included 360 theaters across the south.
The Strand officially opened on July 3, 1925, after 19 months of construction, with the opera The Chocolate Soldier.
Originally a movie theatre and vaudeville house, The Strand was where Hill went to movies in the 1960s and ’70s. “My goal is to leave it better than I found it,” says Hill. The ’70s were a tough time for The Strand, though. “Plaster fell. At one point, so much water was collecting in the basement that lily pads were growing.”
But … sunshine was on the horizon. After seeing a film at the decaying landmark one day, a determined Jim Montgomery, a Shreveport newspaperman, critic, editor, and staunch defender of the arts, went to the office of local businesswoman and arts lover Virginia Shehee with a plan to preserve the historic venue.
The two partnered with local attorney Judd Tooke and the community to restore the building and make it better than ever. Seven years and nearly $10 million later, The Strand reopened, giving us a chance to make more memories. Jenifer Hill recalls when Loretta Swit, who earned two Emmy Awards for her work on M*A*S*H as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, arrived at The Strand early to hang out before her performance. “I remember I had to make an announcement on stage. I was nervous about it, and Loretta said to me, ‘Don’t worry about it. These people give you the money. They need to know you.”
“I quit worrying about it from there on out.” As far as deciding what shows play at The Strand, Hills says they shoot for a variety. “We can bring in comedians all day long,” Hill says. But it needs to be different. “We are rethinking our approach. Our board is 18 people, and our season consists of shows I and the board choose. “Do I think it will sell here?’ Shreveport is a one-night town. “How much can we get for it?’ That’s all a negotiation process.”
The Strand also factors logistics into the equation.
“A lot of these bigger Broadway shows won’t fit in here. I hear of many older theaters with the same issues.” Hill and the board choose the shows for the Strand-presented season, but they also have “rentals” who contact the theatre to bring in performers. For instance, that’s how they got Chris D’Elia and Kevin Hart earlier this year. So, the show must go on, right? 99.999% of the time, yes. There was one occasion, however, where things didn’t go as planned. Hill says, “We only had one show we had to stop. It was last summer.”
It was due to — get this — our North Louisiana weather. Can you believe that? Of course you can! Anyone living here for more than a day knows the unpredictability of Mother Nature in our parts. “The rain came down at 4:45 p.m.,” says Hill. “The show started at 5 p.m.” Water started coming into the basement of The Strand. And the pumps in the basement couldn’t keep up. “People in the house don’t know what’s going on. I had to go on stage looking like a drowned rat and announce that there wouldn’t be a show tonight.” Live theater. 100 years and only one performance was canceled. I’d say that’s pretty good.
Jenifer Hill has clearly poured her heart and soul into that building. Jim Montgomery, Virginia Shehee, and Judd Tooke did, too. Thank goodness they cared enough to preserve The Strand; they deserve a standing ovation from us all. I can’t wait to see what’s on tap for their 40th season. I know I’m not the only one.
