p h oto s by e r ic m a r k s
by TIM PRENTISS
NOW AND
The dormant Lear Theater was once a church.
T
he sentiment may be naïve, but its optimism is appealing: that our lives can be improved simply by having the right ideas and sharing them with others. It places so much faith in human rationality, rather than defeatedly admitting many things are outside the control of human cognition—large economic systems, dumb luck, weather patterns. TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design), famous for its 18-minutes-or-less lectures, on an endless variety of topics, is based on the simple premise that ideas matter. According to their online mission statement: “We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.” The popularity of these TED Talks has led to franchising: TEDx. A TEDx event is simply a TED style event, independently organized,
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but approved and licensed by the TED national organization. On June 6, TEDx Reno, featuring over 20 speakers, will be the first major event held in the Lear Theater in over a decade. There is a certain irony in this pairing of event and venue. The Lear Theater has been plagued with misfortune ever since the attempt was first made to convert the old church into a theater: cost overruns, managerial disputes. All of the nuts and bolts problems any old building has. So, intellectual idealists: meet bad plumbing. The Lear Theater was built in the late ’30s as the home for Reno’s Christian Scientist congregation. The architect who designed it was Paul Revere Williams. He is noted as being the first black architect admitted to the American Institute of Architecture. Based in Southern California, he designed high profile corporate and government buildings. He was on the design team
for LAX. He designed the MCA building. But primarily he designed residential buildings. He developed a reputation as “architect to the stars,” designing homes for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Lon Chaney and others. But not all Williams structures are in Southern California, and Reno boasts a few Williams designs: the Garvey house on California Street, the Loomis Apartment Building, and the El Reno Apartments—ultra-modern, at the time, steel modular homes. The Christian Scientists moved out after more than 50 years in the Williams-designed building. Then, the daughter of a successful entertainer and widow of an industrialist had the idea to convert the church into a theater. After Bill Lear died in 1978—he was famous for inventing the Lear Jet and 8-track tape—his widow Moya ran the corporation.
In the late ’90s, a few years after the Christian Scientist congregation moved out, Moya Lear put up over a million dollars of her tech money, on the condition her contribution be matched, to purchase the building. The venue hosted performances in 2001 and 2002, then the site was shuttered, the renovations left unfinished. In 2011, the Reno GazetteJournal reported the project had consumed $4.7 million more than the $3 million estimate, with a possible $12 million in expenses remaining. Many believed the managing Theater Coalition was focusing too much on using the venue for touring theater companies. Investors were angry at the management. Performing arts groups were alienated. Lear did not see any of this since she died in 2001.
Community theater Management of the theater has passed to Artown. The organization is now attempting to complete the restoration.
“We are at the stage where we are trying to establish if there is an investor’s desire to invest in this building,” said Artown executive director Beth Macmillan. Macmillan also wants the future of the theater to better align with what she said was Lear’s vision. “Moya Lear had wanted a community center,” she said. That would be a medium size performance space, available to host local arts events. Macmillan said the funding to keep the theater operating will come from rental fees paid by the performers. And who will these performers be? The space can host anything, according to Macmillan. “It’s good for music. It’s good for dance. It’s good for speaking engagements. It’s good for children’s recitals.” Hypothetically, it is. But currently the stage is unfinished, and the building’s electrical system can, at best, power a few light bulbs. It’s far from capable of running
