Chevrolet Theatre

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The Chevrolet Theatre, originally the Oakdale Theatre, is a venue for music and other performances located in Wallingford, Connecticut in the United States.

[edit] Founding/Early Years

The 1,200-seat Oakdale Theatre opened in 1957 under a tent in the middle of an alfalfa field. The facility has grown 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 Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones, Joan Baez, 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. The new theater was officially opened by country superstars Brooks & Dunn.

Oakdale hosts major touring productions and Broadway shows, in addition to contemporary pop, rock, R&B, country and comedy talent, including Jerry Seinfeld, The White Stripes, Stone Temple Pilots, Dream Theater, Air Supply, ZZ Top, Dave Attell, Bob Dylan, Andy Williams, Dave Matthews, The Moody Blues, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Britney Spears, Lewis Black, Mitch Hedberg, The Kinks, The Cranberries, Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, Nora Jones, Josh Groban, Brooks & Dunn, Chicago, the Beach Boys, Duran Duran 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. It was renamed the 'Career Builder.Com Oakdale' Theater in the early 2000s and later, the Chevrolet Theatre in deference to corporate sponsors. However, despite such sponsorship, it remains known to patrons as simply, "The Oakdale Theater."