"To be, or not to be? That is the question."
For Kathy Majewska, that question seems somewhat irrelevant, because for her, the answer has been, “to be;” here, in downtown Pine Bluff, working in service of the Saenger Theatre.
"It was called the Hauber Theatre. In 1915, I think around that time, it burnt," Majewska said. "So you had a group, the Simmons [Bank] founder, and you had the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce that got together with the Saenger Amusement Company, and they said, 'We are going to build another new theatre, but what's going to be different, it won't just be vaudeville, it will be for movies.'"
Majewska now has the monumental task of saving the stage, which was once called the “Showplace of the South.”
"The city says, 'Kathy, go forth, raise money, make awareness,' and that's what I'm doing. I've had the job since January. My son, Tristan, he's my quiet sentinel that helps me."
With their double act, Majewska hopes to restore the 101-year-old playhouse that once drew crowds in the thousands, hosting performances that spanned the listings from Al G. Field to the Ziegfeld Follies.
Opened in November 1924, The Saenger was one of over 300 built across the South by brothers, Julian and Abraham Saenger. During its first week, the space attracted top acts and set new attendance records for the matinee and evening performances.
"He opened with the show 'Footloose,' and then the second night was D.W. Griffith with the film, 'America,' and the week was just star-studded."
The theatre was at a prime location, a no-hassle pitstop for entertainers, a quick detour to perform at what was then Arkansas’ third largest city.
"From the stage door — the big stage door, they would bring in the sets, they would do their shows. We were so lucky in Pine Bluff because the railroad was a block away."
As stage shows gave way to the silver screen, the Saenger went through several renovations to keep up with the times.
But as Hollywood's Golden Age began to fade, so did downtown Pine Bluff. In 1975 the Saenger was shuttered, and lay empty until Majewska first came to the building’s aid.
She started with the Pine Bluff Film Festival, which began the same year the building earned its listing on the National Register of Historic Places thirty years ago.
Majewska says the festival was a grand tribute to the glory days of silent film.
"Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Van Johnson, Fay Wray was here," said Majewska. "Geraldine Chaplin, we did 'The Circus,' we did the silent film, her father's silent film, and then we did a real circus with horses."
The Pine Bluff Film Festival ran consistently until around 2008, when fundraising efforts began to stall. Over the next 11 years, both the theatre, and the city of Pine Bluff continued along a steady decline.
In 2012, the nonprofit Old Town Theatres donated the theatre to the city, which offered $15,000 for repairs, alongside a grant from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
In 2017, Pine Bluff residents voted in a five-eighth-cent sales tax to support a revitalization effort called Go Forward Pine Bluff. Two years later, the city named the Saenger as a top priority, and consulted with Paul Siemborski, principal architect of the restoration firm DLR, to discuss the possibilities.
"Many of these theatres, these historic theatres, were Vaudeville houses with very shallow stages, the Saenger had an expansive stage" explained Siemborski. "These buildings need to continue to be the living rooms, or the family rooms, of our communities."
In his view, both then and now, the city lacked focus in its efforts.
"I would say the mood was not cohesive."
In the six years that followed, Go Forward Pine Bluff led multiple projects, including the city’s Aquatic Center, Merrill Community Center, and a go-kart track that remains in development. However, none of those are downtown.
"You have to look at the investment downtown."
Siemborski believes there is still time for a rebirth of the district, and that this future could be anchored by the Saenger.
"Secure the balance of the building so it is warm, safe, and dry, or at least safe and dry, and then implement this project in phases starting with the stage."
By a phased approach, Siemborski explained that in his view it wasn’t about finding what the Saenger needs from Pine Bluff, but finding what Pine Bluff needs from the theatre in 2025.
"To think, 'If you build it they will come,' is not an approach I would take. Investors will want to see the bottom line. They'll want to understand earned and contributed, they'll want to understand that it is a viable business."
In 2023, the city secured around $47,000 to further secure the roof, and to install pumps to combat water accumulating in the basement. For now, the space is stabilized.
Majewska says she envisions a grand restoration of the space, which would bring the venue into use full time, with a museum area detailing the theatre’s history. She is hopeful, and she has a plan.
"The first step is that, since we can't find any of the original blueprints, we have got to have what's called a 3D scan, and what that does is make blueprints. It's $10,000-$11,000 to bring the guy in. Then we pay $47,000 for them to do a four-concept plan."
And there is good news. In May, Pine Bluff received a half-million-dollar grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up and revitalize buildings in the area. 19 properties were recipients of the grant, including the Saenger.
"This is not Pine Bluff's theatre, this is Arkansas' palace theatre that, once restored, will be magnificent. Not just to raise it to be practical and functional, but it is to raise funds to make it awe-inspiring. A noble edifice!"
A final act of service, which could raise the curtain on an era of film and performance arts to transform a city facing its most dire moment.
"The theatre says to me, 'You rescue me.' I made a promise a long time ago that I would do it."
