Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning July 2006 » Fox theatre EXPANSION! « Previous Next »
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 474
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 7:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes you heard this right.. So on the theatre tour I got the honor of meeting the GM of the Fox Theatre.. And I had to ask is that garage door in the back of the stage part of the original building? His answer was NO.. Here's some pics to explain.. Basically you heard it hear first.. They are planning on increasing the depth of the stage! Don't know how much bigger they are going but it is a really narrow stage.. Check this out! Yeah they are going to expand the back of the building to increase storage and stage size! That will enable them to host any modern musical.. Which currently they can not because of stage depth..

That is a real brickwall BTW.. the outdoor temporary garage was put in for the Rockettes to store extra equipment..Which another news flash! The rockettes are NOT coming back this year... A new show will replace it.. Called Winter Wonderland or something like that...






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Legsdiamond
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Username: Legsdiamond

Post Number: 40
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 216.222.168.183
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 7:49 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey Dig, It's "White Christmas" and it's touring all over and coming to St. Paul too. They had an open casting call here for a little girl to play whoever the little girl is in the show, and one of my friend's daughters auditioned (she didn't get the part). I wanted to ask the tour guide if they had a similar casting call in Detroit...
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 477
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 7:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ohh ok thanx I couldn't remember the name.. Thx again!
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Livedog2
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Username: Livedog2

Post Number: 960
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 24.223.133.177
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 7:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Do you have any I can look at standing on my head while doing my Yoga?

Livedog2
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Mackinaw
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Username: Mackinaw

Post Number: 2007
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 75.10.25.111
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 7:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah no more Rockettes...that is great news. Thanks for the info, Dom...this is big news in that the Fox will probably be utilized by many more shows....they say that only NYC has more theatre space than us, but we are not nearly utilizing our spaces as much as Broadway that's for sure.

That garage attachment looks like crap anyhow and certainly belies the classiness of the rest of the venue. Hopefully the expansion won't take too much business away from the Fisher.
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 482
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 8:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah it's a temporary stucture from what the GM told me.. Though you can't see it during shows..
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Buddyinrichmond
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Username: Buddyinrichmond

Post Number: 35
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 69.212.225.164
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 8:17 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Is it possible that the new expansion may be to house the new Olympia with the expanded stage being built large enough for the ice and additional seating place around it?
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Hamtramck_steve
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Username: Hamtramck_steve

Post Number: 3175
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.252.125.223
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 8:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

No, it's not possible. Put down the shrooms.
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 484
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 8:21 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

? Huh? Ahh.. no.. They just wanted to expand the stage and they own all the land behind it.. See my other thread on that topic..
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Detroitej72
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Username: Detroitej72

Post Number: 114
Registered: 05-2006
Posted From: 66.184.3.44
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 8:36 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Great news. I always thought that garage looked like schitt.

Hopefully we'll be a top destination for all the Broadway shows. For that matter it would be nice to see some off- Broardway shows too.
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 488
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 8:38 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah I didn't realize what it was until I went on the theatre tour and noticed how it really stuck out.. Never would have known what is was without the tour..
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Toolbox
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Username: Toolbox

Post Number: 965
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.126.173
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 9:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

News flash! It's been there for years.

There were no truck wells originaly and that was the solution. The Detroit Life Building was always refered to as an impedment to load in and load out.
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Detroitplanner
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Username: Detroitplanner

Post Number: 111
Registered: 04-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 10:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

that temporary structure has been there for about 10 years. why would Detroit need this stage deepened? We have other deep stages already (DOH, Masonic, DSOH, Fisher.....)
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 490
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 10:17 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well those are not owned by illich family.. And I believe Fox Theatre has the most seating out of all those Theatres by far.. Since most of these are not owned by them.. Then it would make sense for them to expand the theatre to allow for larger productions to take place there.. They being the largest in seating (I believe) correct me on that.. It makes economic sense for them..

Currently they can't host the really big productions due to the depth of the stage.. With expansion that would be able to book larger shows, thus greater profits..And some shows can not get into the FOX due to the stage depth.. The pictures don't really give it justice.. But I was REALLY shocked how narrow it is.. It only makes sence for them to do so..

Yeah there is competition in the theatres in Detroit having a deepers stage gives them the edge they need.. Concerts are one thing that don't need that depth.. But Musicals require ALOT more depth for certain shows.. And it gives them flexibility as well..

As currently the opera house has the largest stage in Detroit.. But the seating is NO where near the Fox..

Yeah 10 years.. It was built for the Rockettes.. But they need more stage room.. I worked on stage for a few years.. More offstage room is badly needed at the fox.. It amazed me how little they really have there.. It must be a nightmare when big shows come..
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Lowell
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Username: Lowell

Post Number: 2856
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 66.167.211.213
Posted on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 11:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Interesting thread and nice pictures. Thanks Digigaldom.
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 497
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 12:08 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

NP bud!
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Gistok
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Username: Gistok

Post Number: 2647
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 4.229.72.23
Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 3:12 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes the Fox (max seating 5,174) has a smaller stage than either the Masonic (seating 4,600) or the Detroit Opera House (seating 2,765).

Only 2 theatres in the country have more seating than the Fox, the 6,300 seat Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles (site of the Oscars for many years) and the 5,888 seat Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

I had heard (unsubstantiated) that the Detroit Opera House has the largest stage in the midwest (at something like 7,650 sq.ft.).

Mr. Ilitch doesn't like acts bypassing the Fox because the stage is too small.

Digitaldom, when you say you talked to the GM at the Fox, I assume that would be the blond haired man at the tour. His name is Greg Bellamy. A really nice guy. He was supervising the construction work (reinstalling repaired seating and other maintenance). This was the first year I had seen Greg at the Theatre Tours.

(Message edited by Gistok on August 17, 2006)
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Quinn
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Username: Quinn

Post Number: 866
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 64.139.64.80
Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 12:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I believe the Fox was built mainly as a great movie house...this would explain the shallow stage.

I've heard about this idea of expansion for years.

You can see a similar expansion that took place with the current opera house...which was...tada...originally a movie house. They built towards grand circus and, I believe, extended the proscenium a bit to accomodate fab operatic productions.

I worked for Walbridge Aldinger for a stint...they had fantastic photography of the project (they were the CM)
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56packman
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Username: 56packman

Post Number: 535
Registered: 12-2005
Posted From: 129.9.163.105
Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 12:26 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Let's sort out some terms here: the Fox stage has a 70' proscenium width, which is HUGE, so we really can't call it "narrow" (45-50 ft. is pretty much standard). The Fox stage is 37' deep, which is generous by movie palace standards, but not up to contemporary grand opera/major-hardware Broadway (Andrew Lloyd Webber shows--where the audience leaves the theatre humming the set), but it is "close enough for rock and roll," so I think the adjective we're looking for here is "shallow".
An expansion will give the F a stage house equal to its auditorium.
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Quinn
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Username: Quinn

Post Number: 871
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 64.139.64.80
Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 1:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

i said shallow...
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Digitaldom
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Username: Digitaldom

Post Number: 498
Registered: 08-2004
Posted From: 24.192.148.150
Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 8:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah I am suprised by one thing about all these movie houses is they actually had a decent stage depth to begin with.. Though they did say sometimes there were performances.. In those days they didn't need the depth of the stage like they demand today..

Gistok - I believe you are correct.. He also gave a overview of the City Theatre on our tour.. He seemed to know alot of what was happening there..

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