Coming soon: Wildish Theater.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - Hannah Nissen already knows her way around the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater, a downtown performing arts venue set to open this fall.

Nissen, a 16-year-old Thurston High School student and aspiring makeup artist, raced up the stairs behind the still-under-construction theater's stage on Wednesday and pointed out the area where she envisions spending a significant amount of time during the next two years, honing her skills.

"Here's the dressing room, and here's where we can do makeup," Nissen said, gesturing toward the large empty space that will soon be filled with mirrors and bright lights.

Work crews plan to complete renovation of the building's interior by September, right around the same time the Academy of Arts and Academics opens its doors directly across Main Street from the new theater.

While the new high school's curriculum promises to be as much about math and history as it is media and performing arts, students such as Nissen are sure to be regular visitors to the Wildish.

"This place will become one of our laboratories," said Mike Fisher, a Thurston High teacher who is leading the school's start-up efforts. Students will work in the box office and behind the scenes at theater shows, and the school may hold classes and put on a few of its own productions at the Wildish, Fisher said.

But high-schoolers aren't the only ones likely to benefit when the curtain rises at the 284-seat theater.

Springfield officials are confident the Wildish will help improve downtown's image by becoming a cornerstone of a revitalized city core.

"One of the reasons we started this project is because the building was an eyesore and we needed to create a presence in downtown," Springfield interim City Manager Cynthia Pappas said. "The theater will create more foot traffic, and with that, it will develop some synergy with other businesses here."

City officials have worked closely with the nonprofit Springfield Renaissance Development Corp., which in 2000 took over the 5,500-square-foot theater building and immediately launched an ambitious fundraising campaign for the $2.7 million renovation project.

Originally home to the McKenzie Theater, the building at 630 Main St. has since been home to "successively problematic businesses" including a boxing club and teen night spot, said Tom Draggoo, the development group's president.

More than $2 million has been collected for the renovation effort, but the nonprofit group is still working to raise about $400,000 in order for the new theater to be debt-free when it opens later this year.

Organizers of the Oregon Bach Festival, the Eugene Concert Choir and the Oregon Festival of American Music are among the groups who have inquired about renting the Wildish for performances, Draggoo said. "It's going to be a professional theater house," he said. "We believe it will be a well-used, first-class facility."

The Willamalane Parks and Recreation District will handle booking and management of the theater in its first 18 months of operation, officials said.

CAPTION(S):

Hannah Nissen is a Thurston High School student who hopes to work on makeup backstage at the Wildish Community Theater begins shows. The Wildish Theater will provide a laboratory for students along with its entertainment.