Orpheum Theatre Group to get a ‘facelift’ by 100th anniversary

By Dima Amro – Daily Memphian

November 3, 2025

The Halloran Centre for Performing Arts and Education is getting a new look as part of the Orpheum Theatre Group’s $1.7 million revitalization project.

The Orpheum Theatre Group’s Downtown campus, which includes the Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre, will undergo exterior redevelopments to unite the two buildings under one brand.

“A lot of people don’t recognize that the Halloran Centre is a part of the Orpheum,” said Dacquiri Baptiste, chief operating officer for the Orpheum Theatre Group. “They think they’re two separate entities, and a lot of people don’t even have a clue what the Halloran Centre is until they come inside.”

The Orpheum Theatre, a nearly 100-year-old building at 203 S. Main St., is easily recognized with its iconic marquee and brick exterior. The Halloran Centre, a 10-year-old building at 225 S. Main St., sits next door with a reflective, sleek look — distinctly different than the theater.

Baptiste said the group’s goal is to ensure that locals and visitors see the Halloran as part of the Orpheum and to offer more communal spaces outside the buildings at the corner of Beale Street and Main Street.

The $800,000 phase one of the two-phase project will begin by year end and include continuing the red bricks from the theater down to Halloran’s front entrance to connect with the Sidewalk of Stars.

“It’s something very simple, but something that is a visual that helps people understand you're entering a space of one,” Baptiste said. “We have this beautiful historic space, and we have this 10-year-old space that basically do the same things, but they just look really different.”

Phase one work will also include a red 14-foot “O” statue, in reference to the Orpheum Theatre Group, in Halloran’s front plaza on Main Street. A second “O” statue will be at the corner of Beale Street and Front Street.

The Orpheum Theatre Group commissioned local sculptor Yvonne Bobo for the two sculptures.

“We are hoping to provide what we think of as now Instagramable moments,” Baptiste said. “So many millions of people have our beautiful upright blade, and that will continue to be the most iconic thing, but now at a lower street level, we’re going to have these ginormous huge Os that will frame our campus.”

The front of the Halloran will also include more seating areas and lights for patrons and pedestrians.

The $1.4 million phase two of the project will focus on the back of the building near the loading dock at the corner of Front and Beale.

The Orpheum Theatre Group plans to add the second “O” sculpture there along with a stage, seating area and additional lighting.

Baptiste expects to complete the project by Nov. 19, 2028 — the theater’s 100th anniversary.

“We knew anniversaries were approaching,” she said. “What is something that we can commemorate these moments in a meaningful way that wasn’t selfish, as just us doing something for us. It was us doing something for our neighbors, for our community.”

She said the completed project will offer spaces for the community to gather while also enhancing the appearance of Downtown.

LRK is the architect and Grinder, Taber & Grinder is the general contractor.

The revitalization project is the latest in the Orpheum Theatre Group’s efforts to modernize the area. Baptiste said the group has renovated seating to provide ADA options, as well as updating restrooms and elevators.

“It’s more of giving ourselves a little bit of a facelift that feels more inviting,” Baptiste said. “More of a space where people can gather more than just inside, but also in some of our outdoor spaces that haven’t been truly defined.”