It seems like the planets have aligned. When Ford's Theatre Society staff and board members started talking about a major renovation more than five years ago, they couldn't have predicted the fortuitous timing of its completion. Of course, they knew Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial would fall in February 2009, but at the time, they didn't know the renovation would be finished on schedule for that celebration, nor did they have any inkling of the other timely coincidence.

"We never knew that we as a country would be electing [as our president] Barack Obama, a senator, like Abraham Lincoln, also from Illinois, who happens to have a fondness for Lincoln and whom others see as Lincolnesque," says Ford's Theatre Society Director Paul R. Tetreault. "It's quite thrilling."

President Lincoln, who was a champion of the performing arts, visited Ford's Theatre more than a dozen times before he was shot there by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865. He died early the next morning in a boarding house across the street. The following year, the theater was sold by John T. Ford to the federal government and used as office and storage space until it was reopened as a theater in 1968.

Today, the national historic site, operated through a partnership with Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service, is one of the most visited sites in Washington. The facility includes the theater, a small museum and the Petersen House (where Lincoln died) and will also encompass the new Center for Education and Leadership across the street, to open in the future.

The Ford's Theatre renovation and expansion project has been funded largely by private sources and will be completed in February. The $50 million-plus Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign to support the renovation and expansion has raised $45 million to date.

To celebrate the reopening, Ford's will offer a week of public and private events honoring President Lincoln's life and legacy, including the world premiere of a Lincoln play and a new free weekly Lincoln series (see sidebar for event details).

Tetreault says the theater renovation is well overdue. "You can't keep something open for 40 years and have the activity Ford's has had—almost 1 million people coming through every year—and not do renovations," he says. "The new amenities will be really spectacular."

There are new theater seats (comfortable, yet of the period), upgraded sound and lighting systems, improved heating and air conditioning systems, renovated restrooms and increased Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. There is also a new lobby with concessions and a gift shop built in an adjacent building. (Gone are the days when theatergoers had to pick up their tickets from the box office and then go outside to access a separate theater entrance.)

The theater will reopen with the world premiere of The Heavens Are Hung in Black (Feb. 3 through March 8), a play about Abraham Lincoln in 1863, one of the most crucial years of his presidency. The theater commissioned award-winning playwright James Still to write the play, which focuses on the five months between the death of Lincoln's son Willie and the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation.

"The theater is intimately linked to the Civil War period, and a play that deals with Abraham Lincoln and the huge problems he faced in coming to make the Emancipation Proclamation seem to be made for each other," says Director Stephen Rayne. "I think everyone has some preconception about the man as president. What I am hoping is that the audience will have a better understanding of the human being behind the photographs we all know. I hope we can also demonstrate some of the nightmare of being a president who is facing life-and-death decisions on a daily basis."

The Civil War, a Tony-nominated musical directed by Jeff Calhoun, will open at Ford's Theatre this spring (March 27 through May 24). The show is inspired by the words of Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and President Lincoln, as well as the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Ford's Theatre Society Chairman of the Board Wayne R. Reynolds said the renovations will enhance the experience of all visitors while letting them share in President Lincoln's love for the performing arts. "When we open the Center for Education and Leadership, we will literally be a Lincoln 'campus,'" he says, "where learners of all ages can go to learn about the man who was Lincoln and what his legacy means today."

Ford’s Theatre has scheduled a week of performances and celebrations to highlight its grand reopening. Among the events:

• Feb. 11: Ford’s Theatre will host a special performance to officially reopen the theater. Filmmaker George Lucas will receive the Lincoln Medal in honor of his accomplishments.
• Feb. 12: The theater will commemorate Lincoln’s 200th birthday with a series of public programs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including a wreath-laying by National Park Service rangers; performances of some of President Lincoln’s great speeches by local students; and renditions of some of President Lincoln’s favorite songs played on Civil War–era instruments by the Federal City Brass Band.
• Feb. 16: On President’s Day, the theater will welcome families from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a celebratory open house featuring a reading of the new one-act play The Road From Appomattox by Richard Hellesen; a performance of One Destiny; songs from The Civil War and ranger-led interpretive programs. At 7 p.m. that evening, the theater will launch its new free Monday night Living Lincoln Series, featuring Sam Waterson and Lincoln historian Harold Holzer in the first performance.
• Feb. 17: Starting today, visitors will be able to tour Ford’s Theatre from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free but requires a ticket. Tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 a.m. daily. Individual tickets are also available in advance for a $1.50 convenience fee through Ticketmaster.