There’s a date for Saenger Theatre reopening after Biloxi hires local management
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- Biloxi hires Encore Saenger to manage the Saenger Theatre and reopen by June 30.
- Contract runs Feb. 24–Feb. 28, 2029; city gets 30% of gross revenue.
- Management handles operations, maintenance and staffing; city covers utilities and flood/casualty insurance.
The Saenger Theatre in downtown Biloxi is closer to reopening after years of restoration at the 1929 landmark.
Biloxi City Council on Tuesday hired a group of local professionals to market and manage the theater at 170 Reynoir St., and is a centerpiece in the revitalization of downtown Biloxi.
Biloxi is required to sign a management contract and have a first event by June 1, as required by the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Grant.
Encore Saenger, a group that incorporated in the state in December, will be responsible for the day-to-day operations as the theater returns. The contract with the city says Encore Saenger is a professional theater management company with the required experience to manage the theater and knowledge of the local culture, economy and history of the theater.
Before it closed in 2018 for safety issues, the theater hosted ballet, symphony performances, dance recitals, holiday presentations and other events.
The renovations began on the exterior, and repairs were completed on the fly tower that was built in the 1929 theater to quickly raise and lower backdrops and scenery, along with the roof and walls. The renovations then moved to the interior, where duct tape held together sections of the plaster walls.
Working toward the opening
Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich asked the council to approve the choice of Encore Saenger “To start rolling as fast as we can.”
Gilich said the city is working a punch list of $75,000 in work that still has to be done.
“We’re handing over as much as we can, as complete as we can,” he said, and will do what is needed to be done to make productions possible. Additional sets and video equipment can be added later, he said.
“We’re going to do as much as we can with the budget we have,” he said. “But bottom line, we’re going to hand it off, and we’ll be able to count on them to bring the business in.”
A $3 per ticket restoration fee will be added, which Encore said is common in old theaters.
Additional revenue for improvements and to repay a $361,000 Economic Development Foundation loan the city took out for interior work will be repaid in part by fundraisers such as naming rights for the theater, brick sales and a video board, Gilich said.
“This is the best deal for our citizens and our Saenger,” he said.
Others named as part of Encore Saenger are Rafe Oneal as technical director, Boyce Deaton, Andrea Deaton Dennis Tynes, William Hunter and Jordan Church, Encore said they already have seven local groups that want to do productions at the Saenger.
What’s in the agreement
The contract will run from Feb. 24 through Feb. 28, 2029, with renewal available for three one-year terms. It can be discontinued by the city or the management company with 90-day notice.
The contract between the city and Encore also calls for:
- The city will receive 30% of the gross revenue generated by operations at the theater, including the concessions.
- Biloxi has the right to inspect and monitor the facility and the manager’s books.
- Biloxi will pay for all utilities and maintain the structure.
- Management will maintain the theater, fixtures and equipment.
- Management will establish rental rates and all ticket prices.
- Management will negotiate, prepare and sign rental agreements, require insurance and provide technical support, stage equipment, production staff, public catering, backstage catering, box office, ushers, ticket takers and other services.
- Management will pay for insurance, including liability insurance of at least $1 million, and personal property insurance.
- Biloxi will be responsible for casualty and flood insurance.
- Management officers and employees won’t receive any city benefits.
