The Sooner Theatre: A Norman Classic

At first glance, the Sooner Theatre in downtown Norman doesn’t look like much. The dirty yellow brick is accented with faded green paint, worn oak doors, and a sign with more than one burned out bulb. It’s not until you step inside that the true grandeur is seen.
   
Stepping past the vintage style ticket booth, and into the small lobby is like walking back into the 1920s. Plush reds and dark wooden beams decorate the interior. The classic style chandeliers hanging from the ceiling illuminate the original tiles attached to the wooden beams.

Branching to the left of the lobby leads you to the concession stand. The Sweet Shop, in it’s classic fashion, again adds a vintage feel to the theater.

The idea of the Sooner Theatre was created for one goal. To be the first theater in the region to show talking pictures. This goal was accomplished in 1929 when Harold Gimeno opened the doors to the general public.

The audiences were amazed when they witnessed their first taste of cinema accompanied by sound, and the theater thrived for almost 45 years.

It was in 1975 that the Sooner Theatre was reluctantly forced to shut it’s doors. After years of entertaining audiences, the small single screened theatre just couldn’t compete with the new era of multiplexes that was sweeping the nation.

Reluctant to see the building that had become somewhat of a trademark to downtown Norman torn down, a small group of citizens banded together and pressed the City to intervene. The requests were granted and in 1977, the theatre was purchased by the City of Norman from the original owner, and was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.

 In 1982 the theater was leased by the city to The Sooner Theatre, Inc. for a term of 99 years, at an annual price of one dollar. The yearly fee has not changed, even in today’s tight economic times.

“The city kind of has an obligation to support businesses like this,” said Jennifer Baker, executive director of the Sooner Theatre. “Without the various parks, and art exhibits, and theaters, the city isn’t left with much of anything. It loses it’s culture.”

Today, the Sooner Theatre is thriving. Along with a line up a musical productions, the theater also hosts a “Main Event” concert series that consists of three touring bands.

“We have a major concert series every season,” said production manager Brandon Adams. “The type of music is kind of a mixture of genres. Like our first concert was a kind of blues country, and the last one will be sort of a big band type of style. But knowing our demographic, being in Oklahoma, we usually try to incorporate a traditional country band into the series.”

From the brink of destruction, the Sooner Theatre has worked it’s way back as a frontrunner for entertainment in downtown Norman. And with crowds lined up around the corner on a Saturday night, it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere for a long time.