Chevrolet Theatre

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The Chevrolet Theater, originally the Oakdale Theatre, is located on South Turnpike Road in Wallingford, Connecticut.

[edit] Founding/Early Years

The 1,200-seat Oakdale Theatre opened in 1957 under a tent in the middle of an alfalfa field and was expanded over the years. In 1972 the tent was replaced with a wooden dome that accommodated 3,000 seats. A rotating stage was located in the center, creating a theater in the round. The Oakdale played host to numerous nationally known acts, including Cream, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones and John Sebastian.

[edit] Expansion

In the mid-1990s, the Oakdale was transformed again to become a year-round 5,000-seat performing arts center. The project changed the facility from a theater-in-the-round to an end-stage, amphitheater arrangement. Ground-breaking took place in late 1995 and the new 120,000-square-foot theater was completed in mid-summer 1996. The $20 million project included the design of a new theater, with the old "dome" becoming its lobby, a 5,000-square-foot stage house with orchestra pit and trap room, backstage support including performers and crew accommodations, a loading dock and scenery-handling area, public spaces, restrooms, and extensive indoor and outdoor concessions. It is now the largest theater in the state of Connecticut.

Oakdale hosts major touring productions and Broadway shows, in addition to contemporary pop, R&B, country and comedy talent, including Jerry Seinfeld, Air Supply, ZZ Top, Dave Attell, Bob Dylan, Andy Williams, Dave Matthews, The Moody Blues, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Lewis Black, Mitch Hedberg, The Kinks, The Cranberries, Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, Nora Jones, Josh Groban, Chicago (band), the Beach Boys, and the Smothers Brothers. The theater was also a brief topic on the Fox animated comedy series, Family Guy.

Over the years as the health of the theater's founder deteriorated, the venue was sold. In 2004, it was incorporated by the Clear Channel media conglomerate and renamed the Chevrolet Theatre.