In August, Ash Lawn Opera announced it would lease the Jefferson Theater from Red Light Management for 20 years beginning in the summer of 2010.
That was six months ago. This morning, Ash Lawn Opera Festival announced that it will not join the Jefferson Theater in creating a summer opera house.
According to a press release, the Jefferson could not be adapted to meet the specialized needs of the opera within the capital budget.
The release also states that Judy Walker, the general director of the Opera Company, was disappointed that the Jefferson will not become an opera house.
Coran Capshaw’s Jefferson will be a multiuse facility and will have a restaurant just off of the lobby.
The Jefferson Theater will be operated as a music venue by Starr Hill Presents, which, in turn, operates the Charlottesville Pavilion, some occasional shows at the Paramount Theater and the John Paul Jones Arena.