Curtains up at the Ingersoll

Renderings of the reimagined Ingersoll show what it will look like, inside and out. Rendering: Sequel Architecture + Interiors

Writer: Kylie Petty

After a decade-long intermission, the lights are coming back on at the Ingersoll Dinner Theatre. With a simpler new name, The Ingersoll is set to reopen in November with live entertainment and full-course meals, reviving a hot spot that opened almost 90 years ago. Over the years, it evolved from a movie theater to a live theater and, later, a series of short-lived ventures in the early 2000s. For a hot minute, it was even an after-hours club.

In 1939, the local entrepreneur and philanthropist Abraham Harry “A.H.” Blank built the building at 3711 Ingersoll Ave. to become one of Central Iowa’s first theaters to show movies with sound, or “talkies.” He hired the local architecture firm Wetherell & Harrison, the same team behind the Varsity Cinema, the Hiland Theatre and the Forest Theatre (which now houses Creative Visions).

By the 1970s, the theater had switched to live performances. In 1978, local producer and director Charles Carnes moved his Purple Cow Dinner Theatre from a Grimes campground into the building and renamed it the Ingersoll Dinner Theatre. It staged popular productions like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Miracle on 34th Street” and became a mainstay of the city’s entertainment scene.

But by the 2000s, the curtain had fallen. The space hosted an after-hours club in 2004, a Cuban restaurant in 2010 and a handful of short-lived nightclubs that never quite caught on. The lights went dark, the doors closed, and at least one raccoon moved in for an extended engagement.

A new act

Now, after years of false starts, a new act is ready to begin. Connor Delaney, CEO of White Oak Realty, bought the building with plans to revive the dinner-theater experience from the Carnes era, with live entertainment and elevated food and drinks. “We’re retaining what historic elements remain,” Delaney said. “Our goal is to pay homage to the institution that he created.”

To do that, Delaney teamed up with Steve Peters, the founder and CEO of the Ames-based company VenuWorks, which manages more than 50 theaters and performing arts centers nationwide, including Iowa State University’s Stephens Auditorium. Peters also co-owns the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre in suburban Minneapolis, the largest dinner theater in the country. Although he’s worked on several throughout the Midwest, he said The Ingersoll is “a little different from the rest of them; it’s about building community.”

And this team knows the community. Delaney and programming directors Napoleon Douglas and Max Wellman all graduated from Roosevelt High School before heading out to follow their dreams and careers. Now, they’ve returned to their roots.

Douglas said The Ingersoll will offer a “sense of familiarity, a sense of home,” with a mix of hometown performers and guest stars.

“This is such a huge commitment to the community to revive this venue,” Wellman added. He believes The Ingersoll’s local team can “produce shows that really add to the local and regional arts community and economy.”

Delaney, like many locals, has fond memories of the space. He was just 4 years old when his grandmother took him to a matinee of “Peter Pan” in the 1980s. They each ordered a personal pan pizza and a cherry Coke. “Nobody else was there,” he said. “They did the whole ‘Peter Pan’ program for my grandma and me sitting there in the audience.” On their way out, a staffer gave them free tickets for the following night.

Today he hopes the theater will once again be a place where people make memories.

“We’re really grateful that Connor and Steve have stepped in to bring the dinner theater back to life,” said Lauren Kollauf, executive director of The Avenues of Ingersoll and Grand. She sees the venue as an arts and entertainment anchor that “fits in really well to the cultural fabric of our district.”

Renee Crowell, The Ingersoll’s executive director, said the team is “looking to bring something new” that gives “life back to the Ingersoll theater for the community.”

Setting the scene and tables

Plans are in the works for about five shows a week, with lots of music plus a few comedians and small productions, all at a practical price. Seasonal specials are in the works for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. There may be brunches, too, and shows geared toward bachelorette crowds. “There will be different options for different tastes,” Wellman said. “The idea is that every night is kind of a special event.”

The renovated space will include two bars and seating for 225 people — 200 on the main floor and 25 more on the upper mezzanine. The whole experience, Peters said, will have an elegant, jewel-box feel. “It’s like a throwback to another time,” he added. “We say that if Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley walked through the aisle, you would not be surprised, because it’s just going to be that cool of a place.”

Guests will be able to enjoy full-service dining: drinks and entrees before the show, dessert and another round during intermission. The menu will likely feature prime rib, steak, fish, vegetarian entrees, salads and desserts, with a few seasonal updates and rotating specials.

Peters hopes guests will find a few favorite dishes — and favorite stories — that keep them coming back. “We’re trying to deliver experiences that you’re going to remember,” he said. “You’ll be talking about it years later.”

Coming up

The Ingersoll team gave dsm an exclusive look at the early lineup.

Tickets go on sale in early September. For more details about shows, menus and sponsorship opportunities, visit theingersoll.com.

Marilyn Maye (Jan. 23-24)
The 97-year-old legend who graduated from East High School in 1946 returns to her hometown for another round of stories and songs. The Grammy-nominated singer had her own radio show in the 1940s and ’50s, racked up 76 appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, and was a force for decades in New York’s cabaret scene.

John Lloyd Young (Feb. 21)
The Tony- and Grammy-winning star of Broadway’s original “Jersey Boys” and Clint Eastwood’s film adaptation takes the stage for a night of jazz, R&B and Broadway classics.

On rotation through the winter:

White Christmas: Holiday Music by Irving Berlin & More
The festive revue features Berlin’s holiday classics, brought to life with notable local singers, dancers and a full jazz orchestra led by Jason Danielson.

Big Easy at the Ingersoll: A Night in NOLA
Enjoy a monthly show inspired by New Orleans, with Cajun-influenced cuisine, craft cocktails and music that captures the soul of the Big Easy, including its second line brass bands and Dixieland panache.

Dante’s Comedy Revue
Dante Powell hosts a monthly night of stand-up, sketches and interactive improv with notable comedians from across the country, while a live house band adds a touch of late-night flair.

Steve Berry’s Open Stage
The popular singer and emcee hosts an “elite open mic night” to choose Iowa’s next big star. Contestants can apply in the month leading up to each show.