ArtWorks Festival: Delay doesn’t take away from the Paramount project’s significance – Austin Daily Herald

Grand opening pushed back to September

Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan and when construction is involved, any goals have to be made with a wink.

Things come up and sometimes the best laid plans just don’t go according to plan. That’s been the case with the Paramount Theatre’s expansion and renovation project.

When the $4.3 million project was officially kicked off in December of 2024, the hope was that the theater might be ready for this year’s Austin ArtWorks Festival on Aug. 23-24. It would have been the perfect opportunity to show off a project that will enhance both the audience and performer experience.

But due to things outside of the control of Austin Area Arts and Joseph Company, showing off the work will have to wait.

“We’re going to save the thunder. We’re going to wait,” said Randy Kramer, who along with Belita Schindler, is a co-lead of the project committee. “The short answer I would say is the whole facility is going to be closed to the public during the festival.”

Rather than being open for the festival, the theater will instead be a staging area for festival volunteers. Still, not being able to finish the project wasn’t a surprise as committee members also knew there was a chance of hiccups in the process.

“We’re working with a 100-year-old building,” Schindler said with a laugh.

Originally, Buckets N Boards Family Comedy Percussion Show was going to kick-off a slate of performances showcasing the expansion and renovation of the theater, but that has been postponed to February.

Instead, organizers are celebrating the work that has been done and the money that has been raised. Fundraising wise, the goal is nearly completed at 90%, leaving around $90,000 yet to raise toward the $1.2 million goal.

Prior to that, The Hormel Foundation had granted the project $3.67 million.

“We’re doing great,” Kramer said. “It’s ahead of schedule. We have feelers and we have conversations going on out there so we’re highly confident we’ll be hitting the goal within the next month or two or three.”

Even though there still remains some work, it’s easy to make out the added details of the renovation and expansion just off of the west side of the Paramount.

Inside the theater itself, the soundproofing material has been applied to the ceiling and its easily observable as to where the new sound system will be staged as well as  the new stage surface that will be easier on performer’s movements.

Even though the theater will lose some seating, it’s only because the new seats will be larger and ADA requirements are reserving spaces for those with physical disabilities. The work in totality will take the viewing experience to a whole new level.

“It’s something that the public is really going to get a kick out of,” Schindler said. “It’s going to be a great place to see a show.”

Currently, the grand opening of the new look is on Sept. 14 with the Texas Tenors, who is the third highest selling artist in the history of America’s Got Talent.

Prior to that there will be a donor reception.

“If you just try and envision what that Sept. 14  show is going to be like, I suspect we’re going to sell out,” Kramer said. “The Texas Tenors are a pretty good group. I think it’s going to be something.”

As for the work that has been done. Both Kramer and Schindler are nothing less than thrilled with what they’ve seen.

“It’s beyond our expectations,” Kramer said. “We knew it was going to be great, but it’s turning out to be greater than what we imagined.”