Beck Center for the ArtsJourney Back in Time with the Beck Center
Part 3: Gaining Ground
By Kelly Kutler
As Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” These words might have been the motto for the individuals who helped build today’s Beck Center. Thanks to the indomitable spirits of those who refused to accept the status quo, a once struggling little theater evolved into the thriving cultural arts center that now inhabits 17801 Detroit Avenue. “We didn’t see ourselves as pioneers back then,” says actress, Helen Corns. “It was a labor of love. When you believe in something as much as we believed in the theater, you go above and beyond what’s expected of you.”
In 1938, the Lakewood Little Theatre found their first permanent home when they rented the former Lucier Movie Theater. After eight years of putting on shows wherever they could find space, the players were thrilled to take up residence on the West End of Detroit Avenue. Within five years, however, their leased home was in danger of being sold out from under them. Displaying their signature courage, members of the Men’s and Women’s Boards leapt into action. “These wonderful people actually took out second mortgages on their own homes and signed personal notes so that we could get a land contract on the property,” says Lee Mackey, actress and wife of the late, Karl Mackey. “They weren’t rich by any means, but their dedication to the Theatre was so remarkable that they were willing to take the risk.”
By 1947, the group had raised the funds to take out a $36,859 mortgage and obtain title to the property. In just ten years, the Lakewood Little Theatre paid this mortgage off without the help of a single grant or public funds. Already renowned for this unique ability to subsist solely on subscriptions and box office receipts, the group began dreaming of transforming the Theatre into a comprehensive cultural arts center with a significant educational component. Having achieved success with the Children’s Theater and adult classes in drama and speech, the group aspired to continue moving beyond the theater into community education. In 1958, they formed the Lakewood Little Theatre Fine Arts Foundation to pursue their long-term vision. “We were extremely well managed,” says Mackey. “Our volunteers were phenomenal people from all professions, who made sure we were financially sound and independent.”
In 1963, growth continued as the Theatre purchased 28,000 square feet of parking lot space for $100,000. The resurfaced lot brought the entire estimated value of the property to $250,000. For several years, expansion came in small steps as the Theatre gradually acquired surrounding storefronts, lots, and several apartments above the building. The addition of a rehearsal hall and classroom was followed by new central air conditioning and heating systems. An extensive 1969 remodeling project improved audience seating and increased space for the growing Children’s Theater and scenery work.
Then in April 1974, the future of the Lakewood Little Theatre was forever changed when a wealthy retiree entered the offices of then Mayor Robert Lawther. “Kenneth Beck came in one day to discuss leaving one million dollars to the City of Lakewood to build an art museum,” says Lawther. “He said he was a retired millionaire and at first I wasn’t sure whether he was serious. But when I was finally convinced he meant business, I put him in touch with Karl Mackey to discuss financing the Little Theatre’s expansion.”
An accomplished painter, Beck made his fortune designing signage for some of the world’s leading manufacturers. After retiring during World War II, Beck often traveled the world studying and collecting art. Artistic and Managing Director, Karl Mackey talked to Beck several times before he agreed to support the Theatre’s plans to build a multi-cultural arts center. “In the end Mr. Beck was very impressed with the way we did business,” says Lee Mackey. “He believed in doing everything on his own and respected that the Little Theatre operated the same way.”
Kenneth C. Beck’s first gift to the Little Theatre was $300,000. He later donated an additional $300,000, with the condition that the community match the amount. Beck’s generosity inspired the Little Theatre to launch an aggressive fundraising campaign. Before approaching the public, the group raised over $100,000 from their own members. Next, they set out to request support from the public for the first time in Lakewood Little Theatre history. Their ambitious goal was to raise 1.5 million dollars. “Mr. Beck’s donation started the engine,” says Mackey. “Fortunately, we had a professional fundraiser showing us how to raise the rest of it.”
While some members made phone calls and paid visits to potential donors, others used their dramatic skills. Actresses Helen Corns and Valerie London dubbed themselves “The Beck and Call Girls” and staged mini-shows all over town. “We did a scene from Romeo and Juliet, impressions of Judy Garland,” says Corns. “We would go wherever we could and raise $75 here and there. Unfortunately, Karl Mackey made us change our name because it was a little too racy!” Early morning breakfasts for local business people were held on the Little Theatre stage to coach volunteers on fundraising tactics. “It was wild and hectic and wonderful,” says Lee Mackey. “Everyone pitched in.”
Two years and ten days after Beck announced his initial pledge, the Little Theatre had raised enough money to break ground for the new center. In December 1975, youth from the Children’s Theater were given miniature shovels and surrounded Beck as he lifted the first scoop of earth. “We were dressed in our winter coats with hard hats on our heads,” says Bing Staley, who attended the event as a child. “The adults drank champagne served from wheelbarrows and they let us keep our shovels as souvenirs.”
Cleveland architect, Fred Toguchi, designed the plans for the complex. Beck made regular visits to the site, wearing the hard hat that Karl Mackey had made for him. But not everything went as expected. “Our original plans for an orchestra pit and basement had to be dropped because we found that there was once a lake underneath that area,” says Board Member, Bruce Wacker. “Controlling the drainage problem would’ve cost us another $150,000.” Karl Mackey had to fight with the utility companies to install gas heating instead of the prohibitively expensive electric. And sudden increases in construction costs made other modifications necessary.
Ultimately, no obstacle was too big for the Little Theatre to overcome. Construction was completed in nine months and three weeks. The new complex boasted a 500 seat theater, art museum, galleria, skylights, and indoor gardens. The main theater was equipped with a $62,000 computerized light board, an innovative trap door system, and an orchestra area behind the stage. “We were the first theater in Greater Cleveland to have a state of the art computerized light board,” says Lighting Engineer, Andrew Kosiorek.
Perhaps most exciting were the additional spaces that would soon be filled with students of all ages, from every arts discipline. The former inner lobby was transformed into silversmith classrooms and the former lounge redesigned to accommodate classes in the visual arts. A spacious skylight studio was ready for instructor, Lynda Sackett, to welcome dance students. And rooms in the old building were set aside for the Children’s and Teens Theaters. Classrooms for ceramics, sculpture, photography, adult drama, music, and crafts were also set and ready to go.
The Kenneth C. Beck Center for the Cultural Arts formally opened in October 1976, with a festive black tie celebration. Five hundred guests enjoyed a gourmet supper, followed by a lavish performance of Maxwell Anderson’s Mary Queen of Scotland. “We spent all day getting ready,” says Lee Mackey. “Karl was literally laying the bricks in one of the gardens that afternoon. Then I had to get into costume and make-up and perform in the show.” Cast member, Helen Corns, recalls the euphoric atmosphere. “The curtain was delayed going up,” says Corns. “But everyone was having such a good time, they didn’t even notice.”
At 80 years old, Kenneth Beck was known for saying that his connection to the Theatre had given him a new lease on life. He was often quoted as saying that he hoped to stand in front of the finished product and say “well, I helped a little bit.” Too shy to deliver a speech on opening night, Beck watched from the audience as Board President, Howard Egert, spoke for him. Through Egert, Beck said that it was “the happiest day of his life.” The elated audience gave him a standing ovation.
To continue following the Beck Center’s story, keep reading the Lakewood Observer! To learn more about the Beck Center’s current theater season and arts education classes, visit www.beckcenter.org.