The Lincoln Theatre is a bustling hub of activity, hosting performances, rehearsals and performing arts classes. First opened in 1928, the Lincoln is a landmark for Columbus African-American and jazz history.
The theater’s second-floor ballroom has historically been consistently popular live jazz venues. This year, the Lincoln Theatre Association reopened its second-floor ballroom as Club Lincoln.
“I created Club Lincoln as an additional performance space in between our smallest and largest areas, but also as a community space for expression,” says Suzan Bradford, Lincoln Theatre’s executive director. “History tells us that Club Lincoln was the place to be and be seen back in the day because a lot of parties happened there, so I wanted to breathe a little bit more life back into that presence.”
The new space isn’t just for long nights and jazzy music though.
“We’re also hoping other potential users will consider the space for corporate meetings or community conversations,” she says. “We’re looking at collaborating and partnering with the senior population and the disabled population to provide space for activities. We hold those are places dear to the Lincoln’s mission because we want to keep everything here accessible.”
The performance space offers an intimate setting that can accommodate anywhere from 150-250 people in a variety of seating configurations, including traditional theater-style, performance in the round or club-style. The setup is also adaptable for a wide variety of community events such as film festivals, meetings and receptions.
The ballroom has been equipped with an all-new digital sound and lighting system and will offer up-and-coming artists a cost-effective space for performance.
“There are packages that local artists will be able to use, so it makes it very affordable for them to be able to produce the work or to host concerts throughout the year,” says Bradford.
The Lincoln Theatre Association hosts the Club Lincoln Concert Series as a platform for local artists that have participated in the Lincoln’s artist incubation programs. The next performance, featuring Bobby Floyd, is scheduled for Friday, May 29, at 8 p.m. For more events and information on how to purchase tickets visit www.lincolntheatrecolumbus.com.
Gillian Janicki is a contributing writer. Feedback is welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
