Celebrating the Ritz

Subhead

Local theater part of Snyder community for more than a century

Image
  • Pictured are cast members (l-r) Jim Drake, Jeff Stanfield, Sy Tabor and Craig Robertson from the 2008 production of A Company of Wayward Saints at the Ritz Community Theatre.
    Pictured are cast members (l-r) Jim Drake, Jeff Stanfield, Sy Tabor and Craig Robertson from the 2008 production of A Company of Wayward Saints at the Ritz Community Theatre.
  • Pictured are cast members (l-r) Jonathan Speegle, Kristin Miller, Logan Tabor, Hillorie Earnest, Casey Arnold and Ashley Kincheloe from the 2005 production of Wiley And The Hairy Man at the Ritz Community Theatre.
    Pictured are cast members (l-r) Jonathan Speegle, Kristin Miller, Logan Tabor, Hillorie Earnest, Casey Arnold and Ashley Kincheloe from the 2005 production of Wiley And The Hairy Man at the Ritz Community Theatre.
  • Pictured are cast members (l-r) Emily Hataway, Donna Fowler, Jane Womack, Sue Parham, Jana Pool and Janeen Patterson from the 1992 production of Steel Magnolias at the Ritz Community Theatre.
    Pictured are cast members (l-r) Emily Hataway, Donna Fowler, Jane Womack, Sue Parham, Jana Pool and Janeen Patterson from the 1992 production of Steel Magnolias at the Ritz Community Theatre.
  • Pictured is the Ritz Community Theatre after its renovation in 1992.
    Pictured is the Ritz Community Theatre after its renovation in 1992.
  • Pictured is the Ritz Community Theatre prior to its renovation in 1992.
    Pictured is the Ritz Community Theatre prior to its renovation in 1992.
  • Pictured is the Ritz Community Theatre during its renovation in 1992.
    Pictured is the Ritz Community Theatre during its renovation in 1992.
Body

The buildings on the downtown square are rich with history, but one building, in particular, stands out in both function and appearance.
With a sign that seems to be straight out of the 1950s and bright green and red paint covering the building’s facade, the Ritz Community Theatre’s structure pays tribute to its history, which dates back long before the boom of babies, baseball and bands playing rock ’n’ roll.
Originally called the Cozy Theatre, the Ritz has been around since as early as 1917. According to numerous articles and advertisements in the early 20th century newspaper The Snyder Signal, locals used to attend regular movie showings at the theatre.
In 1921, the Cozy Theatre was purchased by T.L. Lollar, who changed the theatre’s name to the Ritz and eventually conducted a major renovation of the theatre during Snyder’s oil boom years. The theatre re-opened in 1950 and remained open for 20 years before shutting down in 1970.
In its prime, the historical Ritz offered a special source of entertainment to area residents, according to Scurry County Historical Commission Chairman Drew Bullard.
“The historical Ritz was a time when the movie theaters were the main source of entertainment for the community,” Bullard said. “As a kid, you’d go in and there was excitement about seeing a movie. Movies were a huge deal back then compared to now, when you can just pull one up on your smart phone. The historic building was eventually restored to be a live performance theater in the community.”
Throughout the 1950s, the Ritz became a hot spot for locals, in particular teenagers.
“The Ritz has an upstairs, and that was always the place that the high school kids would go during that time,” Bullard said. “The parents didn’t want them going up there because it was dark, and that could involve mischievous things. But that was something that the kids growing up always looked forward to. The Ritz would also have canned food drives where you could donate canned food and go see a movie. The movie theaters would be pretty full.”
Another important role for the Ritz was that it offered a look at current events.
“They had a news reel at the beginning of the films that would show the news of the day,” Bullard said. “It was something that people looked forward to. That’s how a lot of the people got their news back then.”
In 1991, descendants of the Lollar family donated the building to the Ritz Community Theatre, Inc., and renovations began in 1992, including replacing the roof and restoring the original marquee and store front. 
Many of the features still remain at the Ritz today.
“A lot of the building has been updated, but the sconces on the walls in the lobby and in the theatre are original,” Board of Governors President Glenn Burns said. “Where we have the light and sound booth now is where the original projection booth was, and the soda fountain we have in there was originally from a drug store that was on the square for a long time.”
Over the past 25 years, the theatre has been home to numerous plays and musicals.
“Something that I always find interesting is that each actor will spend at least 45 hours per show at rehearsal before taking the stage opening night,” Burns said. “This doesn’t include the countless hours they spend at home learning lines before coming to rehearsal. This probably averages about 56 hours per actor. Also, weekends are spent at the theatre building sets and working on tech. This can easily reach 10 hours per actor. So for a show starring 10 people, a combined effort of 1,110 hours has been spent preparing for the show.”
Though the Ritz has a longstanding history in the Snyder community, Burns said it’s important for productions to keep up with current technology.
“We try to update our show tech as often as possible,” he said. “We’ve recently added LED lights which can add colors to scenes and be programmed to animate with different schemes.  During Seussical, we added blacklights above the stage that can be controlled from the booth. This added another fun element that we can utilize for future shows.” 
According to Burns, many theaters have superstitions, and the Ritz is no different.
“When working on shows late at night, many an odd sound has been heard in the theatre,” he said. “This includes footsteps on the stairs and hearing cats while sitting alone in the lighting booth. Ours seems to be a friendly ghost, though, as they never cause any trouble. Probably just a patron of the arts from the other side.”
Through renovations and superstitions, the Ritz has been a significant part of the Snyder community for more than a century.
“The Ritz is an enduring establishment in the community,” Scurry County Museum Curator Laurel Lamb said. “It’s lasted where other historic theaters in town have not. From its early origins as the Cozy to its various renovations over the years, the Ritz has lived on to continue its tradition of entertaining local audiences.”