‘A homecoming.’ Biloxi’s legendary Saenger days away from being back in business
After eight years in the dark, Biloxi’s historic Saenger Theatre is ready to raise the curtain again. The landmark venue will celebrate its grand reopening this weekend with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a live theatrical performance and an after-party.
“The Saenger is this huge structure that has subsisted almost for 100 years now,” Encore Saenger Group board member Boyce Deaton said. “Having it thrive and bringing it back to life is going to bring more cultural relevance to the Gulf Coast.”
Opened in 1929, the Saenger hosted artists such as John Michael Montgomery, Mark Chesnutt and Bill Engvall before closing for a multimillion-dollar repair project in 2018.
“I really genuinely feared that I would never go back in the building, that … it would be a parking lot,” technical director Rafe O’Neal said.
On Saturday, June 6, there will be a free, public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m., where attendees can get a first look at upgraded flooring, roofing and technical facilities.
Following the event, doors will reopen at 7 p.m. for a ticketed musical production including new and former cast members alongside the Biloxi Civic Orchestra. Ticketholders are invited to attend an after-party at Ground Zero Blues Club.
A true homecoming
For O’Neal, the Saenger’s return is personal. His grandparents met there, and it became a fixture in his childhood.
“I grew up hearing the fabulous tales of what went on in the Saenger Theatre, and in 1980 my grandmother took me to see my very first musical show ever at the Saenger,” O’Neal said.
Director Anthony Starcher shares a similar story. He said he started performing at the Saenger in 1983 and has continued getting an education in the arts ever since.
“The Saenger has supported the arts in a very unique way, giving artists the opportunity to hone their craft and create things in a visceral way,” Starcher said.
Together, the duo is directing “The Homecoming: A Celebration Begins” as part of the Saenger Theatre reopening. Preceded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the production will highlight the history of the Saenger before its closure.
“It is a homecoming in the sense that we’re all getting to come together again, and we’re all getting to use our craft again when we haven’t been able to in quite some time,” Starcher said.
Starcher said he wants to emphasize the generational aspect of the Saenger’s history in every aspect of the grand opening, including the casting.
“Our oldest cast member is 91 … and then my youngest cast member is 9 months old,” Starcher said. “I really wanted to convey the thought of how this building, being such a historic icon, has lived through all these generations.”
Starcher and O’Neal said they hope to continue restoring the venue’s history as they support a new generation of artists.
“For us older folks, I mean it is just like a warm hug,” Starcher said. “It just comes alive, and so I feel like I’m being supported by the ghost of the past and the present in trying to mount this.”
“I truly think it’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I never thought I would go back. The Saenger is like home to me,” O’Neal said.
