Lyric Theater gets grant from T-Mobile program
Dana Edwards, left, of T-Mobile presents a Hometown Grant check for $48,340 to Lyric Theater Managing Director Jeremy Thomas, Lyric Board President Greg Shaya and Wooster Mayor Bob Reynolds in a presentation held Sept. 12 in downtown Wooster.
On Sept. 12, T-Mobile was in Wooster to present a grant of $48,340 that will go toward revitalizing the downtown Lyric Theater into a community space, adding a family restroom and ADA-compliant infrastructure such as a hallway ramp, audio headsets and closed-captioning equipment to serve Wayne County’s residents with disabilities.
The Lyric Theater was among 650 applicants nationwide to the Hometown Grants program and one of just 25 recipients in this round of giving. T-Mobile has provided more than $14 million in Hometown Grants to 325 communities across 47 states since kicking off its five-year commitment to small towns and rural communities in April 2021.
“We are thrilled to receive this T-Mobile Hometown Grant to support accessibility features in the renovated Lyric Theater,” said Greg Shaya, president of the board of trustees. “We want the theater to be a destination for everyone in our community, and T-Mobile is helping us make that a reality.”
Representatives from T-Mobile and the Lyric Theater gathered with supporters and community members on the downtown square in Wooster on Thursday for a check presentation.
“This project is yet another example of a public-private partnership and the collaborations that have made Wooster a great place to live and work. It was made possible by private supporters, foundations, businesses, state grants, local government support and now the T-Mobile grant,” Wooster Mayor Bob Reynolds said. “The Lyric project will be an anchor to the new Arts District, connecting and creating a district extending from our downtown core to the Wayne County Public Library and the Wayne Center for the Arts.”
The Lyric Theater project has raised over $2.8 million toward the $3.2 million cost of construction and startup. No opening date has yet been set, but the group is working hard to open in December.
“The Lyric Theater is under construction, with three screens and two stages,” said Sandra Hull, former longtime executive director of Main Street Wooster and current board member of the Lyric. “It will be a venue for entertainment and an important economic development project, bringing people to downtown Wooster and supporting the community. It has something for everyone.”
For more information email Jeremy Thomas at director@lyricwooster.org or visit www.lyricwooster.org.