Danny, a theatre teacher and the managing director of the Coleman Theatre, was one of Dillon’s biggest inspirations. She also stays in touch with her friends at Miami Little Theatre, where Lewis and Dillon’s dad, Danny have produced shows. I’m not sure if I knew then that it would play as big a role in my life as it has - even into my 30s, I’m happy to say I’m still dancing!” I am so grateful for my connection with her. “I started dancing with Kaye around age 7, and did a lot of competitions,” she said. That included dropping by the MLB studio to see Kaye Lewis, her former dance teacher and a person she credits with preparing her for the competitive life of a professional performer. In January, she’ll embark on a three-and-a-half-month cross-country tour that, by a stroke of good fortune, includes one night in Pittsburg, Kansas, just 50 minutes from her home.ĭuring a break for the holidays, Dillon came home to spend time with those who laid the foundation for her success. Rehearsals started in early August, followed by a six-week run in Pennsylvania and a six-week run in Florida. Today, the New York City-based actress is doing all three in the national tour of Broadway’s Finding Neverland, a show that will come to the Bicknell Center stage on Jan. The Miami, Oklahoma native got her start acting with the Miami Little Theater in productions like O liver, Annie, and The Sound of Music, her start singing at church, and her start dancing at Joplin’s Midwest Regional Ballet. 454.įox writes for the Oklahoma tourism department.Desireé Dillon is proof that dreams come true for small-town, Midwestern kids who want to perform on a national stage. Tours of the Coleman Theatre are conducted Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. "There are not many of these historic theaters left." "I consider this to be the jewel of Oklahoma," he said. The theater has become the most popular tourist stop in Miami. Many tourists following historic Route 66 visit the old theater. Visitors from 49 states and 46 foreign countries have signed the theater guest book and television crews from Germany and Japan have visited and taped travel documentaries. The Coleman still has the largest movie screen in this part of the country. Audiences are treated to everything from high school band performances to a series of concerts planned for the restored organ. The theater provides a setting for groups like the Miami Little Theatre and community concerts and local dance studios. "A guy came in one day and said, 'I'm bored, give me something to do.' He did 200 hours of sheet rock work," Graham said. Citizens donated $85,000 to purchase and repair the original organ, the "Mighty Wurlitzer," making the Coleman the only theater in Oklahoma, and one of the few in the United States, to have its original pipe organ installed in its original setting.įunds generated by local children during an aluminum can drive were matched by Wal-Mart to restore the stained glass light covers in the auditorium.Ĭoleman curator Jerold Graham estimates the total number of volunteer work hours at more than 10,000. The Miami community has taken a lead role in restoring the theater. ![]() The Coleman family gave the treasure to the city of Miami in 1989, six years after it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the building is insured for $5.4 million. In 1929, it cost $600,000 to build the Coleman. Having made his fortune in mining, Coleman had the family crest, a pick and shovel, woven into the theater's original carpet. The velvet curtains came from Belgium and the crystal in the two-ton chandelier from Czechoslovakia. The elegant Louis XV interior includes decorative plaster moldings and railings, gold leaf trim, silk damask and stained glass panels and carved mahogany staircases. Crowned with hand-carved terra cotta friezes, gargoyles and three bell towers, it was designed using Spanish Mission Revival architecture by the Boller Brothers of Kansas, who were architects of theaters throughout the Southwest. He wanted a movie palace with a stage suitable for vaudeville and he spared no expense. ![]() On its screen, they saw Elvis, James Dean and Walt Disney's Cinderella.Įven with the competition of drive-in and multiscreen theaters, the Coleman Theatre has never been closed. On its stage, audiences watched Will Rogers twirl his rope, Sally Rand do her fan dance and later, laughed at the antics of the Three Stooges in a vaudeville act. MIAMI, OK - After 68 years at the corner of First and Main in Miami, the Coleman Theatre is almost like a member of the community.įor generations, it has entertained the residents of the town and surrounding areas.
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