Beloved Birmingham theater opens new $2.3 million home in historic building: ‘The sky’s the limit’

Tamara DeBolt takes a seat in the elegant, brand-spanking new lobby of Terrific New Theatre and takes a deep breath.

DeBolt, TNT’s executive director, is thinking about a $2.3 million project that has dominated her life for the past four years, testing her mettle and marking a new direction for the small nonprofit theater.

It’s a joyful time right now for folks who love the theater, DeBolt included. But she admits that finding a new home for TNT and renovating a historic building in downtown Birmingham has been stressful.

“It’s been very hard,” DeBolt said in an interview with AL.com. “I don’t remember the last time I slept through the night, honestly. I have categories in my mind. I have a money category. I have a building category. I have a props category. I have a costume category. I had this electrical thing to worry about. We’re trying to get a liquor license reinstated.

“It’s just, you know, a thousand things,” DeBolt said. “But I cross things off my list, and I make a new list. Sometimes I wake up at 2:30 in the morning and think about my list. Sometimes I never go back to sleep. It’s just been a lot, but I think it’ll be worth it. It’ll be worth all the time and the effort.”

Terrific New Theatre returns to the city’s entertainment landscape on Thursday, Nov. 21, launching its 2024-205 season with a production of “Sunday in the Park with George.” Opening night is sold out at the 100-seat theater, and organizers, volunteers and other supporters are ready to celebrate TNT’s rebirth.

TNT’s new home at 2112 Fifth Ave. North is a significant milestone for the grassroots organization, founded in in 1986 by Birmingham’s Carl Stewart and his partner, Steve Stella. Aside from a change in location and a sleek, modern interior — TNT always prided itself on being rather scrappy and bohemian — it’s the first time the theater has owned its space, instead of leasing, in its 38-year history.

“I am relieved. I am thrilled. I am excited for Birmingham,” DeBolt told AL.com in May 2023, when the news was announced. The theater had been without a bricks-and-mortar location for three years at that point, after leaving its longtime home at Pepper Place in March 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers offered some online events during COVID, and presented the play “Circle Mirror Transformation” at The Dance Foundation in Homewood. But it was a difficult time for the community theater, and its future remained uncertain.

“From the time the board (of trustees) made the decision to vacate Pepper Place — that was tough, lots of tears,” DeBolt said. “I almost quit about five times. But I felt like I had a responsibility, you know? I couldn’t let the theater die on my watch.”

TNT’s fortunes changed for the better when two philanthropic angels appeared, offering funding, ideas, support and goodwill. John and Louise Beard, longtime supporters of arts organizations in Birmingham, came to the theater’s rescue in a very real way, buying the property at 2112 Fifth Ave. North as a gift for TNT.

READ: Historic building in downtown Birmingham gets new life, via gift to local theater

The building, a one-story structure, covers 7,500 square feet and previously was known as the Alabama Auction Room. The Beards worked with Harbert Realty Services to purchase the building, which dates back to 1925 and sits across the street from the Redmont Hotel, a local landmark.

“John and I are extremely happy to support TNT in acquiring this historic building at 2112 Fifth Avenue North,” Louise Beard said via a press release. “My love of Birmingham’s community theater was nurtured by Carl Stewart, an original TNT founder. Seeing TNT return to actively participate as one of Birmingham’s essential community theaters feeds my soul.”

In the past, the Beards have pledged money for renovation projects at the Virginia Samford Theatre and Lyric Theatre in Birmingham. Louise Beard also is a Broadway producer, and won a 2014 Tony Award as one of the producers for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder.”

The purchase of a new building for TNT is a major part of $2.3 million capital campaign that’s ongoing, DeBolt said. (According to the theater’s website, the specific goal is $2,303,209.) As of mid-November, DeBolt said, the campaign is close to reaching its goal, and has about $180,000 to go.

DeBolt declined to be specific about the total amount the Beards have donated to TNT, but said she never expected such generosity to be bestowed upon the theater.

“Another theater leader asked me, ‘How did you get them to give you that kind of money?,’” DeBolt recalled. “I said, ‘I didn’t get them to do it. It just happened.’ … It was crazy. I think it was all final in May, and then before renovation started, the building had to be in our name so that we could have builder’s risk insurance and all that. So they deeded the building over to us officially in November 2023.”

The Beards supported TNT’s revival in other ways, DeBolt said. John Beard, for example, took part in the search for a new location, teaming with DeBolt for exploratory visits to more than 80 buildings in the Birmingham metro area. He remained involved throughout the renovation process, as well.

“Every time we had an owner, architect or contractor meeting, he was always here, hard hats and all,” DeBolt said. “He was here every time, so he was a big help. And just for emotional support, like, ‘We really can do this.’”

Renovations started in January 2024, DeBolt said, with LIVE design group as the architect and Locke General Contractors as the construction company.

DeBolt was the point person for the project, which she calls “a huge undertaking” for TNT. Still, DeBolt emphasizes that she relied on help from others along the way, including a four-person renovation committee.

“Part of that renovation committee was a special group that did all of the design elements,” DeBolt said. “So I didn’t have to pick one color, one lighting fixture, one tile, toilets, sinks … They did all of that, and thank goodness. I had two that were focused on renovation issues. Two of them focused on design elements. Without that group of four people, I would have lost my mind.”

Organizers were excited about the idea of creating a fresh, contemporary space for the theater, which had existed in fairly cramped quarters at Pepper Place. The new TNT has a spacious lobby, a box office area, offices, expansive storage space and updated technology. Providing more bathrooms for theatergoers was a must, as well.

At the same time, however, DeBolt wanted to make sure that TNT’s longtime fans would feel right at home. Cast photos from previous productions, which were prominently displayed at Pepper Place, are easy to see in the new building. Pictures of the theater’s founders, Stewart and Stella, also have a place of honor.

“It’s bigger and better,” DeBolt said, “but I want people to feel like it’s still Terrific New Theatre. So when they walk in the building, they’re going to see the box office. They’re going see all the photos up on the wall. When they walk into the theater, it still feels like TNT. We have almost the same number of seats in the theater. We had 98 before; we have 100 now.

“We brought what we could from the old theater and incorporated it into this project,” DeBolt said. “We could have just said, ‘Let’s just throw it all away and start over,’ but we didn’t want to do that. That’s not what the purpose of the project was. The purpose was to revive the theater and to find a new home, not to make a new organization.”

Stewart, a legend in Birmingham’s theater world, was the artistic chief of Terrific New Theatre for 30 years, He had a strong vision for the theater and directed every production there — comedies, dramas, musicals, theater spoofs and more — before retiring in 2016. DeBolt, an actress and director, took over the helm when Stewart retired. He died in 2022 at age 80, prompting tributes from fans and fond recollections on social media.

What would Stewart — a colorful character and famously outspoken boss — think of the new TNT, with its wide-open spaces, streamlined design and stylish decor?

“It depends on who you ask,” DeBolt said, laughing. “Some people think he would love it. I’m not so sure. … He always kind of reveled in the fact that it was very bohemian and they squeaked by every month. If he couldn’t pay rent, he’d call somebody and say, with that (raspy) voice of his, ‘Hey, I need $1,000. Can I come by and pick up a check?’

“There would be some things I’m sure he would like, and some things I think he would hate,” DeBolt said. “But I would like to think that he would be glad TNT is still alive.”

Reactions from supporters who’ve visited the new theater have been uniformly positive, DeBolt said, and big-money donors were all smiles during a sneak peek they received at a Nov. 9 preview party.

Now, as TNT opens its doors to the public for the first production in its new building, organizers are primed for a bright future. Four shows are planned in a “mini-season” that runs from November through June, starting with “Sunday in the Park with George.”

“It’s been a huge undertaking,” DeBolt said. “But I think we can finally exhale. There’s light at the end of the tunnel. And people have already asked about renting the space. We can have storytelling nights; we can have improv groups. We hope people in the community will want to use it. The sky’s the limit here.”

If you go: “Sunday in the Park with George” runs Nov. 21-Dec. 8 at Terrific New Theatre, 2112 Fifth Ave. North in Birmingham. Eleven performances are planned, Thursdays through Sundays. Tickets are $25, except for Thursday, Dec. 5, which is a “pay what you can afford” night. Visit the theater’s website or call 205-328-0868 for more info.