Tivoli Theatre Foundation CEO Nick Wilkinson said after “Hadestown” at Memorial Auditorium at the end of March, he is looking forward to the staging of 16 performances of “Hamilton” April 22 through May 4, an event four years in the making.
“It’s the biggest show we’ve ever done,” he said. Attracting the show to Chattanooga is a testament to the Tivoli Foundation’s ability to maximize its good fortune, he said. If any piece of the lineup had fallen through, “Hamilton” wouldn’t be here, he said.
The show will attract 30,000 theatergoers and create a distilled impact study, a harbinger of things to come, he said.
Interior renovations began in January for a major upgrade and expansion at the Tivoli. Mr. Wilkinson said 430 people are in and out of the once-empty Fowler Building, officially the Trigg-Smartt Building, that he insisted he shared with only ghosts when he worked there during the pandemic.
“We’re just tearing the place apart,” Mr. Wilkinson said, “fast and furious.”
The existing Tivoli space will be joined to the Trigg building, dating from 1889, with several openings on all floors. The building will get all-new heating and air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems. The “1980s office complex” aesthetic will give way to beauty, he said, with a bigger lobby, lounges, an elevator, and special attention to fast and easy concessions.
Exterior renovations are set to begin in November. The Tivoli will reopen in 2026.
The Tivoli Theatre Foundation will announce the 2025-2026 season on April 17.