The History of the Paradise Theatre
The Paradise Theater was built upon the foundation of the Grand Opera House in 1929, after the original opera house was destroyed by fire. Designed by the architectural firm Liebenberg and Kaplan, the Paradise was originally conceptualized as the Granada with a Moorish or Spanish theme.
The Paradise is an example of an "atmospheric" theatre, a Hollywood-inspired genre of architecture. Unlike conventional theatres, atmospherics are rich in fantasy decor, designed to divert the audience away from everyday cares and set the stage for the show to come on stage and screen. The architectural design and decorative scheme in an atmospheric theatre were planned to evoke the illusion that patrons were seated outdoors. This effect was achieved by projecting images of stars and moving clouds onto a painted, seamless ceiling, using a brenograph, which is a special type of projection equipment designed expressly for this purpose. The employment of projected images is the key element in an "atmospheric" theatre. The auditorium appeared to have no roof, and patrons 
seemed to be sitting outside under a starry summer sky. The notion of a projector with clouds and stars was a very clever and innovative idea in the 1930’s, as most other theatres would utilize a pianist or a pit band to entertain the patrons before a film screening or production.
To create the mood, "atmospheric" theatres were modeled after certain romantic themes. Some, like the Paradise took their inspiration from Spanish Mediterranean villages; others borrowed from ancient Egypt. The image created for the Paradise was one of a walled Moorish courtyard. Once seated inside of the auditorium of the theatre, the full effect of the courtyard "atmosphere" is achieved. The sides of the theatre, faced with plaster scored to look like masonry, were painted to resemble stone.
The theater was designed with a traditional proscenium arch separating the shallow vaudeville stage from the seating area. It also included a small orchestra pit intended for use by the musicians who accompanied the movies of that time. Originally designed to seat 915 people, the theater was eventually divided in half so that two movies could be screened simultaneously.
The theater closed in the late 1980's, under pressure from more modern, multiplex theaters that had sprung up in the region. The period of vacancy at the Paradise Theater did not mean that Faribault was void of artistic enterprises, however. The Faribault Art Center (FAC) which became a nonprofit in 1965, Faribault Area Community Theater (FACT), founded in 1988, and The Merlin Players all became very active players in the regional arts scene.
For over 40 years, the Faribault Art Center (now Paradise Center for the Arts) has been part of the Faribault community. Begun in the 1950’s by a small group of artists, FAC promoted visual arts to local artists and art lovers through classes, exhibitions, and community involvement projects. FACT also had a strong history of making theatrical performances accessible to community participants as well as patrons. There are currently two community theater performances a year: one summer large scale musical and one smaller three act play.
The Merlin Players (TMP) is a non-profit theater organization that provides professional, affordable theatre experiences to audiences throughout southeastern Minnesota. These productions are designed to offer actors, technical staff and director’s challenges for artistic growth. Dedicated to the ideology that artists are deserving of monetary reimbursement for their talents and efforts just like any other work, TMP provides stipends to everyone involved in productions, not just the actors, including students who provide backstage and technical support. This relationship provides students with experience working with professionals, which has led to strong mentoring relationships. TMP has a production schedule of four full shows a year at the Paradise.
Currently, Faribault Art Center is doing business as Paradise Center for the Arts (PCA). Faribault Area Community Theater dissolved as a nonprofit organization, and is merged into the Paradise. The organizations merged their operations and finances in November of 2006. Paradise Center for the Arts functions under the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation of Faribault Art Center, and retains its nonprofit status: EIN 41-138-1314.
The Merlin Players is a resident nonprofit arts organization at Paradise Center for the Arts and as such rents space at PCA for rehearsal, costuming, office, and stage performances, and the Paradise services as the home venue for Merlin Players performances.
The Paradise also is thrilled to have a beautifully re-created marquee funded by the Carlander Family of Faribault. This marquee creates an impressive, accessible landmark presence in downtown Faribault that the community can immediately identify. In addition to local traffic, the art center has appeal to cultural tourists who are attracted to the unique and creative blending of the arts in this historic space.
The Paradise Center for the Arts’ multi-purpose art center consists of the following:
Carlander Family Exhibition Gallery: Art exhibits are planned through December 2009.
Hy-Vee Gift Shop: The Paradise has about 50 artists who sell their work through the retail gallery. From textiles, paintings and pottery to seasonal gifts, the Paradise gift shop has everything you'll need to satisfy that hard-to-buy-for friend or relative.
We have classes in visual arts in the Nomeland Family Classroom, the Tuma Family Classroom, the Cameron-Crone Textile Lab and the State Bank of Faribault Clay Works Lab. We have an unnamed classroom on the first floor as well. We are seeking additional funding to complete those second floor spaces, as well as to equip them with cabinets and other necessities.
Bahl Family Auditorium: The restored auditorium currently has 287 permanent seats on the main floor, a balcony with room for catered seating, and the capacity for expanded temporary seating.
The installation of a movie screen completes the multiple-use auditorium, making it suitable for theatre, music and dance, movies, business presentations and other uses. The auditorium is also available as a public speaking and gathering venue, and for private events such as fundraisers, reunions or weddings. The theatre originally also allowed the visitor to experience an “outdoor” auditorium at night, featuring the illusion of an open sky complete with twinkling stars. Plans include raising funds to complete this last aspect of the atmospheric Paradise. Thank you to our first "Star" purchaser, Barb Wegner, for her donation of $500 towards the stars in the sky!
Lower Level – once occupied by the building’s massive heating and cooling system as well as unused space – the basement is now a set-building area, storage space for theater props and art supplies, rehearsal space for the theater groups, and administrative office space. There is also a small conference room in addition to the large multi-purpose room to allow for flexibility in scheduling meetings, conferences and speakers brought in to lecture on varied topics.
The development of the facility is accompanied by the development of a full calendar of events. The visual arts exhibits consist of work from local and regional artists, as well as bringing well-known artists to the venue from the Metro area. In addition to theatrical programming, we present live music and dance performances. We also offer programming that no other theatre in our region provides: art films, independent and classic movies.
Currently, the Paradise project has cost about two million dollars, and we carry about $600,000 in Capital debt as a mortgage. Our goal is to raise $150,000 over the next five years in excess of our normal fundraising activities in order to completely retire our debt. But if you happen to have half a million lying around, we'll consider taking it.
We look forward to the opportunity to share with YOU what Paradise has to offer. Please visit our facility and enjoy our many artistic offerings.