GARDINER, Maine — Michael Miclon stood in front of the stage at Johnson Hall, looked out at the expanse of brand-new red audience seats, and smiled.
"Every square inch of this building got redone, and it exceeded our expectations," Miclon, the executive artistic director of the downtown performance space, said.
He is entitled to smile. Nearly 40 years after a group of local performers rescued the old opera house from oblivion, Johnson Hall has been transformed into a new, elegant, and high-tech venue that Miclon believes will attract performers and audience members alike.
Johnson Hall began life in 1860 as a stable for the hotel next door and had a large hall upstairs. That space, Miclon said, was used for everything from a Frederick Douglass speech to roller skating. In the 1880s it became an opera house, drawing people from as far away as Boston, who traveled by train to see the shows. Public tastes changed in the 20th century and around 1920, the hall was transformed into a movie theater. The opera house balcony was removed to create a wide open space for movie seats.
But as TV became popular in the 1950s, the movie hall shut down. Johnson Hall sat, mostly unused, for close to 30 years—until Maine performers Benny and Denise Reehl bought it and made enough repairs to put on shows. One of the early members of their troupe of performers was a teenage Michael Miclon. He went on to perform professionally, and then 10 years ago was hired to take charge of his mentors' old hall and lead the restoration.
"I’ve stood on that stage a thousand times and imagined what this space would be, so now to talk in here and have it done, and be gorgeous beyond my wildest dreams, it is powerful every time I come in here," Miclon said.
It took eight years to work up the designs, inspire donors to provide the funding, and start the actual work. Rebuilding the whole space was a large and costly undertaking. Miclon said they needed $6 million to do the work—and raised it. More than $2 million in state and federal historic tax credits helped, but so did many private donations, of all sizes.
They hired the contractor to start work in 2022, only to be faced with massive cost increases after the COVID pandemic.
"Between the pandemic, workforce shortages, inflation, and supply chain issues," Miclon commented on the spike in costs.
And more.
"The war in Ukraine hurt us because of steel. Those factors just hit us more and more to where we hit $9.2 million [in costs]," Miclon added.
The Johnson Hall organization persevered, raising more money even as work proceeded, and came close enough to complete the project. Miclon said the organization does have a debt but is confident that it will get paid off relatively soon, possibly this year.
The renovated opera house, meanwhile, is dazzling. The large performance hall on the top two floors has retained historical features, including windows and the gilded plaster stage proscenium, while also incorporating state-of-the-art acoustic design features and a high-end sound system.
"This is going to be one of the most state-of-the-art theaters out there," Miclon said proudly.
The small, first-floor theater, which seats about 100, has been refurbished as well and will continue to book singers, comedians, and others, as it has done for years. The large stage will be for bigger-name acts that will attract larger crowds.
The restored Johnson Hall even has a balcony, giving the venue the look of a true theater. It also has allowed room for 400 total seats, to help make it more appealing for booking performers.
As he showed off the entire hall—now formally called Johnson Hall Opera House—Miclon also predicted it would be a magnet to attract audiences to shows in Gardiner, which he said would benefit local shops, encourage more restaurant business, and potentially attract people to move to Gardiner.
The first nationally known performer will be the Robert Cray Band, playing the hall on March 26. Then, in early May, singer Lyle Lovett will take the Gardiner stage. And, Miclon said, more acts are being booked.
"This dream has been around 39 years. Thirty-nine years ago is when the dream of this began—1985. And here we are, 39 years later, and it's done and it's incredible," Miclon said.