Paramount Arts Center
Encyclopedia
The Paramount Arts Center is a historic theater located in Ashland, Kentucky
, in the United States
. Listed as the Paramount Theatre on the National Register of Historic Places
, this landmark theater is an important part of theater in Kentucky
.
. The Great Depression
, however, soon changed the course of events for the theater, as Paramount had decided to do away with the project altogether. The plans were picked up by an Ashland-based company with Paramount craftsmen providing the interior furnishings - and the building was then leased to Paramount Publix Corporation. Because of the change in plans, the original design by Rapp and Rapp
was scaled back by one third. Had the Depression not caused a redesign, the Paramount would be three times as large. In 2001, Mike Myers of Ashland reported that the original general contractor was Wade Gates of Ashland. Gates secretary, Marie Duncan, provided this information.
The Paramount first opened on September 5, 1931, and closed forty years later in 1971. The next year the Foundation for the Tri-State Community (or Greater Ashland Foundation, as it was known at the time), under the leadership of Ashland Oil CEO
Paul G. Blazer, Jr. (son of Paul G. Blazer
), purchased the theater and established it as a performing arts center. It opened that same year under the new name "Paramount Arts Center". The theater has undergone several renovations since 1972, most recently in 2002 when a new stagehouse was added and new dressing rooms, rehearsal space and banquet facility were added in a nearby building that was purchased in 1998. In addition, this renovated space was connected to the main building.
The theater now operates as a non-profit organization
, showing symphonies, plays
, ballets and other productions. In addition, in 1992 the music video
for the song "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus
was filmed here.
were working on a project inside the auditorium. It is reported that all of them had gone to lunch except one man, named Joe. When the other three returned, they are said to have found Joe hanging from the curtain rigging, dead. Allegedly, since that time, sounds have been heard, things have gone missing, cold drafts have been felt, and the image of a man has been seen to appear on occasion. Despite this, most versions of the story refer to Joe as a “good ghost” — one who seems to look out for the benefit of the theatre and its occupants.
When Billy Ray Cyrus
was at the Paramount filming his video for "Achy Breaky Heart
," he was told about the legend of Paramount Joe. Between breaks, Billy Ray claimed to talk to Joe, laughing and joking with him, and sometimes even asking for his help. It is customary to get 8 x 10 photographs signed by each performer that appears at the Paramount and then hang the photo on the 'Wall of Fame' in the box office. Billy Ray personally autographed large color posters to each of the female employees working here at the time - and one with a personal inscription to Paramount Joe, whom he now had a fondness for. Each lady put her poster near her desk and Joe's was hung in the box office, near all the other performers. As time passed and the walls in the box office became too full of 8x10’s signed by other performers, the executive director felt that some of the pictures and posters needed to come down. Since there were so many of Billy Ray, she asked the women to remove their posters since they were all so similar. Nobody wanted to take their personally autographed picture of Billy Ray down so they took down the one he had signed to Paramount Joe. The next day, when the ladies came to work, the story has it that every single 8x10 and poster that had been hanging neatly on the walls the night before were now lined strewn on the floor, many of their glass frames shattered, as if someone had wiped each one off the wall. To this day, Paramount Joe’s poster still hangs in the Paramount, in a very special part of The Marquee Room, which is now the site of Paramount Joe’s Rising Star Café.
There is another story about two new employees wanted to investigate the basement in the Paramount and some old items that had been stored there. The marketing director had offered to take the two new female employees into the basement and turned on the lights at the top of the stairs. The ladies hurried down the steps. At that moment the marketing director was called to take a phone call inside the office. He told the other two employees to wait, he would be right back. In their excitement however, they did not hear him and they continued on. Recounting the story later, it was at this point they called up to him to turn on the next light for them. As it turned out, he was on the phone longer than expected and met the ladies as they were coming back up the steps. "Thanks for turning on the light for us," one of them is told to have said, "but we can't get it to turn off." Puzzled, the man explained that he had not turned on the light for them – and in fact, could not turn on the light. They lead him back into the basement, only to be met by darkness. "Well, thanks Joe," called out one of the ladies.
In 2004, marketing director Tyson Compton was giving a tour to some high school students. As he was relating the Paramount Joe story, he realized that he was always talking about Joe, and not to him. So as he spoke to the students, he stopped and called out, “Joe, are you here? Is it okay that I tell your story?” While he swears that he then heard a seat squeak, that is not the most chilling part of this story. Compton relates how he received a call the very next day from a psychic who lived in the area. She asked him if someone in his family or a close friend had recently died because she had gotten a message from “the other side.” He said no that he could think of no one. “Well, she said, “I’m supposed to tell you that Joe said he is here.”
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Listed as the Paramount Theatre on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, this landmark theater is an important part of theater in Kentucky
Theater in Kentucky
- Ashland :* Paramount Arts Center, a Kentucky landmark on the Historic Register, opened in 1931.- Bardstown :* Stephen Foster - The Musical at My Old Kentucky Home State Park- Danville :...
.
History
The Paramount Arts Center, at that time known as the Paramount Theater, was one of the first transitional theatres built for "talking pictures" and was to be a model theatre for others around the country to showcase films produced by Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, however, soon changed the course of events for the theater, as Paramount had decided to do away with the project altogether. The plans were picked up by an Ashland-based company with Paramount craftsmen providing the interior furnishings - and the building was then leased to Paramount Publix Corporation. Because of the change in plans, the original design by Rapp and Rapp
Rapp and Rapp
The architectural firm Rapp and Rapp was active in Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century. The brothers Cornelius W. Rapp and George Leslie Rapp of Carbondale, Illinois were the named partners and 1899 alumnus of the University of Illinois School of Architecture...
was scaled back by one third. Had the Depression not caused a redesign, the Paramount would be three times as large. In 2001, Mike Myers of Ashland reported that the original general contractor was Wade Gates of Ashland. Gates secretary, Marie Duncan, provided this information.
The Paramount first opened on September 5, 1931, and closed forty years later in 1971. The next year the Foundation for the Tri-State Community (or Greater Ashland Foundation, as it was known at the time), under the leadership of Ashland Oil CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Paul G. Blazer, Jr. (son of Paul G. Blazer
Paul G. Blazer
Paul Garrett Blazer was, starting in 1924, president of the Ashland Refining Co., a division of the financially shaky Swiss Oil Company of Lexington, which had hired him. At the time, the company operated mainly out of a small refinery in Catlettsburg...
), purchased the theater and established it as a performing arts center. It opened that same year under the new name "Paramount Arts Center". The theater has undergone several renovations since 1972, most recently in 2002 when a new stagehouse was added and new dressing rooms, rehearsal space and banquet facility were added in a nearby building that was purchased in 1998. In addition, this renovated space was connected to the main building.
The theater now operates as a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, showing symphonies, plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, ballets and other productions. In addition, in 1992 the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
was filmed here.
2006 water damage
The Paramount Arts Center suffered major water damage in November 2006. It occurred when a beauty pageant contestant hung a dress from a water sprinkler while using a steamer to remove wrinkles. Heat from the steam set off the sprinkler system. Water poured from the second floor causing close to $30,000 US dollars in damage to the building.1Haunting
It is said that during early renovation work on the Paramount Theatre, a death occurred there and the man’s ghost has since haunted the Paramount. According to the story, in the early 1940s, four construction workers from Boyd Theater Company in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
were working on a project inside the auditorium. It is reported that all of them had gone to lunch except one man, named Joe. When the other three returned, they are said to have found Joe hanging from the curtain rigging, dead. Allegedly, since that time, sounds have been heard, things have gone missing, cold drafts have been felt, and the image of a man has been seen to appear on occasion. Despite this, most versions of the story refer to Joe as a “good ghost” — one who seems to look out for the benefit of the theatre and its occupants.
When Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
was at the Paramount filming his video for "Achy Breaky Heart
Achy Breaky Heart
"Achy Breaky Heart" is a hit country music song written by Don Von Tress. Originally titled "Don't Tell My Heart", its name was later changed to "Achy Breaky Heart" and was recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus on his 1992 album Some Gave All. As Cyrus' debut single and signature song, it made him famous and...
," he was told about the legend of Paramount Joe. Between breaks, Billy Ray claimed to talk to Joe, laughing and joking with him, and sometimes even asking for his help. It is customary to get 8 x 10 photographs signed by each performer that appears at the Paramount and then hang the photo on the 'Wall of Fame' in the box office. Billy Ray personally autographed large color posters to each of the female employees working here at the time - and one with a personal inscription to Paramount Joe, whom he now had a fondness for. Each lady put her poster near her desk and Joe's was hung in the box office, near all the other performers. As time passed and the walls in the box office became too full of 8x10’s signed by other performers, the executive director felt that some of the pictures and posters needed to come down. Since there were so many of Billy Ray, she asked the women to remove their posters since they were all so similar. Nobody wanted to take their personally autographed picture of Billy Ray down so they took down the one he had signed to Paramount Joe. The next day, when the ladies came to work, the story has it that every single 8x10 and poster that had been hanging neatly on the walls the night before were now lined strewn on the floor, many of their glass frames shattered, as if someone had wiped each one off the wall. To this day, Paramount Joe’s poster still hangs in the Paramount, in a very special part of The Marquee Room, which is now the site of Paramount Joe’s Rising Star Café.
There is another story about two new employees wanted to investigate the basement in the Paramount and some old items that had been stored there. The marketing director had offered to take the two new female employees into the basement and turned on the lights at the top of the stairs. The ladies hurried down the steps. At that moment the marketing director was called to take a phone call inside the office. He told the other two employees to wait, he would be right back. In their excitement however, they did not hear him and they continued on. Recounting the story later, it was at this point they called up to him to turn on the next light for them. As it turned out, he was on the phone longer than expected and met the ladies as they were coming back up the steps. "Thanks for turning on the light for us," one of them is told to have said, "but we can't get it to turn off." Puzzled, the man explained that he had not turned on the light for them – and in fact, could not turn on the light. They lead him back into the basement, only to be met by darkness. "Well, thanks Joe," called out one of the ladies.
In 2004, marketing director Tyson Compton was giving a tour to some high school students. As he was relating the Paramount Joe story, he realized that he was always talking about Joe, and not to him. So as he spoke to the students, he stopped and called out, “Joe, are you here? Is it okay that I tell your story?” While he swears that he then heard a seat squeak, that is not the most chilling part of this story. Compton relates how he received a call the very next day from a psychic who lived in the area. She asked him if someone in his family or a close friend had recently died because she had gotten a message from “the other side.” He said no that he could think of no one. “Well, she said, “I’m supposed to tell you that Joe said he is here.”
The Paramount Players
The paramount players are a group of local actors that come together and audition for the various straight plays and musicals that are producted under the direction of Paramount Arts Center's Director of Education, Melanie Sweeney. Anyone of any age is welcome to audition for these shows. Paramount Players include:- Tyler Bradley
- Michael Seagraves
- Michael Niday
- Abbie Emmons
- Bill Tussey
- Ethan Darby
- Susan (King) Taylor
- Aaron Pennington
- Susan Barber
- Kathryn berber
- Ryan Majher
- Rick L. Payne
- Max Addington
- Mariah Addington
- Charles Aaron Hanshaw
- Drea Perkins
- Sara Brehm
- Dani Gillstrap
- Devin Hale
- Kate Jakson
- Allie Rigsby
- Sarah Diamond Burroway
- Jim Branham
- Sara Stapleton
- Audri Wells
- Elizabeth Riddle
- Matthew Litteral
- Maddison Taylor
- Brandon Hobbs
- Alex Castle
- Amanda Callicoat
- Annie BakerAnnie Baker-Career:Baker grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, and graduated from the Department of Dramatic Writing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She earned her MFA from Brooklyn College....
- Joanna Berner
- Chris AllenChris AllenChris Allen may refer to:*Chris Allen *Chris Allen , English footballer*Chris Allen , English former footballer*Chris Allen...
- Samuel Perkins
- Dorothy Rhodes
- Tiffany ClarkTiffany ClarkTiffany Clark is a former pornographic actress.She made her porn debut in 1979 at age 18 in the film Pink Champagne. During her career, she appeared in both heterosexual and lesbian hardcore sex scenes, and occasionally performed anal sex....
- Rosa Storey
- Anne Parrott
- Kellie Cyrus
- Kortney Shirkey