West Louisville’s Russell Theater celebrates grand reopening

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

West Louisville’s long-dormant Russell Theater at New Directions has sprung back to life, celebrating its grand reopening Friday.

“It was an open room. There was no carpet, there were no curtains, there was no stage. There were no seats,” said Rush Trowel, executive director of FaithWorks Performing Arts. “So literally, we come in and we build the stage out for the seats and the lights in for the carpet, in all those things.”

Now, the theater is unrecognizable. Trowel said the venue fills a vital gap for local artists and audiences.

“Community spaces are few and far between when it comes to performing arts. It’s usually some of the greater, the bigger centers that are available. So making sure that we had a dedicated space was vital to our heartbeat,” Trowel said.

Th