Phil Castle, The Business Times

Robinson Theater constitutes a special place for Doug Simons, who not only performed in musical and theatrical productions as a student at what’s now Colorado Mesa University, but also met there the woman he fell in love with and married.

Returning to the stage more than four decades later for a news conference, Simons said there are other reasons to support a project to rebuild the theater, among them creating a regional cultural attraction that also will promote economic development.

CMU already has received $39 million in state funding for the project and expects to invest $5 million in the effort.

Doug and Jamee Simons, now owners of Enstrom Candies in Grand Junction, will serve as co-chairs of a campaign to raise private contributions and take the project to the next level. “We’re very thrilled to be part of this effort,” Doug Simons said.

CMU President John Marshall said the theater was unlike any other facility in the region when it was constructed in 1968 and has been maintained since then. But a new facility is needed, he said, for the next 50 years.

Work is under way to finish the design on the new theater, and demolition will occur after the fall semester, Marshall said. After two years of construction, a new theater is scheduled to open in 2024. The project will involve only the Robinson Theater, not the Moss Performing Arts Center.

Mo LaMée, head of the theater arts department at CMU, and Darin Kamstra, head of the music department, said the new theater will be designed to accommodate a variety of theatrical and musical performances.

The Robinson Theater was originally constructed as a 600-seat theatre. Plans for the new theater are still in progress, but the venue likely will be designed as a lyric theater with full theatrical lighting and technical support. Capacity will increase to around 800 to 900 seats to allow for better visibility and acoustics.

LaMée and Kamstra said the new venue will not only better serve theater and music students, but also offer hands-on experiences for students involved in such technical aspects of performances as lighting and sound as well as recording and event streaming.

The new theater will be the only one of its kind between the Front Range of Colorado and Salt Lake City in Utah, enabling CMU to also bring in touring companies and expand offerings for the region.

Doug Simons said the cultural events that will be staged at the rebuilt Robinson Theater will attract not only patrons of the arts, but also help in recruiting professionals considering relocating to the Grand Valley. 

Cultural amenities also play an important role in promoting economic development, he said.

Marshall said three funding partners are involved in the project, including the state and CMU. “The last piece of the puzzle is our community.”