Take a moment and imagine the thrill of getting ready for a wonderful evening at the theater. The Guild of the Masque is the innovative new drama group in town and you’re lucky enough to have a ticket to their anticipated premiere performance. The play is “The Queen’s Husband,” by Robert E. Sherwood. The Guild is taking a chance on a promising new playwright who will go on in 1936 to win the first of four Pulitzer prizes for his play “Idiot’s Delight.” But tonight, the price of your ticket to see a Sherwood play is just 40 cents.

The year is 1930 and you’re about to witness the curtain rising on the future Beck Center for the Arts.Fast forward to the spring evening of May 7, 1938. A black tied and top hatted crowd of local dignitaries and leaders gather to witness Lakewood Mayor, Amos I. Kauffman, cut the ribbon allowing the curtains to open on the set of Fred Ballard’s “Ladies of the Jury.” After incorporating into Lakewood Little Theater in 1933, the former Guild of the Masque members have found their first true home in the recently leased and redesigned Lucier Movie Theater. With renovations costing only $10,000, the old Lucier stage is now 50 feet wide, well lit, and deep enough to accommodate the impressive cast and court room set required for Ballard’s three act comedy. This time the playwright’s work has already been adapted for the popular 1937 film, “We’re on the Jury.”

These are just brief highlights from the Beck’s rich 75 year history in Lakewood. For those of you who want to know more, stay tuned for a series of Observer stories chronicling the most exciting periods of change and revitalization. For those of you who were actually part of the experience, the Beck needs your help in creating a more complete record of the Center’s past.

After more than seven decades of providing a home for the works of countless accomplished and aspiring playwrights, presenting quality theatrical performances and arts education, the Beck Center is firmly committed to spending at least another 75 years here in Lakewood. “We’re proud to be part of such a vital inner ring suburb and we are committed to preserving the historic aspects of our facility,” says Cindy Einhouse, the Beck Center’s President and CEO. Did you or someone in your family attend one of the earliest theater productions, take a dance class in the 1970’s, or participate in the original Children’s Theater? If you have great stories or pictures of the Beck Center in past decades, they could be invaluable to staff in collecting and preserving important memorabilia. This is the official call to search your own back stages, including photo albums, trunks, and attics! “The Beck Center belongs to this community,” says Einhouse. “We invite all of you who’ve been a part of it to leave your own unique stamp on the Beck story by contributing your experiences.” Anyone with information or items is welcome to call Yvette Hanzel in the Marketing Department at 216-521-2540, ext. 22 or e-mail yvette@beckcenter.org.