🐉 Piff the Magic Dragon 📍 Wichita Orpheum Theatre 📅 05.03.25 📷 Grant Seymour (fb)

PREPARING FOR INTERMISSION 🖌️ Decorative Painting A major design element that supports Orpheum architect John Eberson’s atmospheric style is the detailed decorative painting throughout the auditorium. When the theater first opened in 1922, one headline read, “Color Effects of New Orpheum Recall Fair Land of Andalusians.” Plaster and wood features will be repaired and painted so the sides of the auditorium will once again look like stone walls, accented by niches, mock tile roofs, grills, lattice arches, and of course the twinkling night sky. Some areas of the Orpheum have been painted over as many as eight times. We have worked with a consultant to research and conduct paint analyses, and to recreate a historically accurate color-palate to preserve Eberson’s original aesthetic. The existing paint will be scraped, cleaned, and enhanced as needed, and in the process, the original paint colors will be restored, ensuring that its timeless beauty shines once again. Of all the decorative details, the theater ceiling will take the longest to complete. (fb)