'It's closing night.' Longtime director and supporters watch Jewel Box Theatre demolition

It wasn't a theatrical performance that caused tears to flow on Tuesday as a distinctive pink stone building was demolished in Oklahoma City.

Tears were shed by a group of directors, performers and supporters as a real-life drama unfolded: Their beloved former Jewel Box Theatre building at NW 36 and Walker was being torn down.

Front and center among the mourners was Chuck Tweed, who served as Jewel Box Theatre's production manager for more than 40 years, before retiring in 2019.

"I just never thought it would happen," he said as he watched a Midwest Wrecking crew tear down the theater's former former longtime home on the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Oklahoma City property, 3700 N Walker.

More:Looking for the perfect pumpkin? Here's where to shop this fall

Most of the people who gathered in the cold with Tweed, 78, on Tuesday morning said they considered him the driving force behind the popular theater, the oldest continuously operating theater in Oklahoma and a ministry of First Christian-Oklahoma City.

Jan Garrett, his former longtime stage manager, said she felt the days leading up to the demolition had been an exciting time for Tweed because, as he informed the theatrical community about the pending demise of the building, he was able to reconnect with friends and supporters.

When Garrett told the crowd that Tweed had been acting like it was opening night at the theater, he quickly responded with a heartfelt comment:

"It's closing night," Tweed said.

A rush of emotions and memories surfaced as the group spent about 45 minutes talking together before the wrecking crew began demolishing the building. In September, Tweed and many First-Christian-Oklahoma City neighbors, other Oklahoma City residents and historic preservationists were shocked when the church building with its distinctive white dome was demolished without fanfare.

Tweed said for several weeks, he called Midwest Wrecking, the company that demolished the church building, to find out when the theater building would be torn down. The building housed an intimate in-the-round theater space and was the place where many memories were made, and he wanted people to gather there to say goodbye to the structure.

The First Christian-Oklahoma City congregation put the church property on the market in 2016. At the time, the congregation's leaders said the historic older building cost too much to maintain. Church members relocated to hold worship in another building on the property, and they decided to do the same with Jewel Box Theatre, which moved to its current location at 321 NW 36 on the property. The church's sprawling 31-acre property has not been sold.

More:Candy Boo-nanza: Your guide to Oklahoma City area trick-or-treating

In true theatrical company fashion, the group, at Tweed's direction, sang a rendition of the song "Oklahoma!" before counting down to the time the wrecking crew began its work. Tweed said he had been able to get a door handle from the building, and he had been told that the wrecking crew would make available some of the pink stone from the building's exterior for people to take home as mementos.

"I remembered starting with two shows, and then we had the amphitheater," he said. "I just never thought it would happen, with all the memories here. Right now, I just can't quite process it."

Gaye Ryan said her son, Braden, acted in all-children productions before he began performing with adult casts at Jewel Box. She held her iPhone up so that Braden, now 23, could be a part of the gathering though he is stationed in the military overseas.

"They just took him in as a family," she said. "I'm watching a piece of my son's childhood go away, just so many important moments in his life."

David Patterson said he started acting when he was about 9 years old. He said one of the things he remembered about the theater was the loyalty of the audiences, whom he described as "incredible fans." He said the theater brought together everyone involved like a family.

"It's community, what this building was," Patterson said. "That was the spirit of this place."

Garrett, 68, said she had cried off and on just thinking about about the building's demise, and Tuesday the tears flowed again.

"We're all very sad," she said.

Rob May, 65, said he appreciated being part of Tuesday's farewell gathering.

"When I was 17, I got to experience this wonderful place, and that was 48 years ago," he said. "This is where I cut my teeth in theater."

Jana Hester said people always stopped her and others involved in the theater when they were out and about in the community to tell them how much they loved and appreciated it. She reminded the crowd that the Jewel Box Theatre has continued, and that wouldn't change with the demolition of its former longtime building.

"That was the symbol, but not the totality," she said, pointing to the building.

Meanwhile, the show must go on.

Deborah Franklin and Richard Lemin have been hired as Jewel Box Theatre's managing directors. They have worked at Jewel Box Theatre since 1983, when he directed and she starred in Neil Simon’s "The Star Spangled Girl." Since then, they have directed, appeared in, and/or written 35 productions there.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Longtime director, supporters watch Jewel Box Theatre demolition in OKC