Historic theatre building revamps its image

Author: Tamara Hilmes

For years, the Town Hall Theatre that was once the heart of the Middlebury community has been deteriorating. The building, first erected in 1884, is located on the corner of Merchant's Row and, overlooking the Town Green. It is a cornerstone of Middlebury history and a potential location for mmunity events. Today, members of the community are making strides to save the building and restore it to its original state.

"It is a historic building," saidDoug Anderson, the executive director of the Town Hall Theater. "We had to save it." Anderson, along with others, has been working to renovate the building since 2000, when they bought the building from the Knights of Columbus. "It was really falling apart when we bought it," Anderson recollected. "It was full of bats and pigeons, there was no heat, and the inside was like a crumbling barn."

After purchasing the building and starting renovations in 2001, the leaders of the renovation efforts realized that it was going to be much more expensive than they had ever imagined. They immediately began fundraising, approaching the federal and state governments for grants as well as asking the community for support.

"We raised most of our money through begging," Anderson confessed. "I'm a professional beggar. We just approached anybody and everybody who might support us."

Aside from asking for donations, the team went creative to raise the necessary funds. During the renovation, over 3,000 bricks on the building needed to be replaced. The bricks that could not be reused were sold to the public for $100 dollars a piece. Community members were able to take a piece of Middlebury history home with them, and a surprising $100,000 dollars was earned for the renovations. Since 2000, a total of three million dollars has been raised to pay for the stabilization and exterior renovation of the building.

The interior, however, still remains unfinished and the funds have long been spent. An additional $2.5 million is needed to complete the interior of the Town Hall Theater. While $1 million of that amount has already been raised, $1.5 million is still needed. Despite the deficit, Anderson said he is not too worried.

"We are determined to have the money by the end of the year," said Anderson "It's all about getting the whole town invested in it and having them feel like they own it." Although the Town Hall Theater has yet to be completed, it has already become a staple within the community. Over the years, several shows and performances have taken place within the unfinished building. This past summer, an opera was put on in collaboration with the Middlebury College music department, and the reaction of the Middlebury community was extremely positive - despite the 110 degree heat, the show was completely sold out. "By putting on shows during the summer we were able to get people into the habit of coming downtown for the arts," Anderson said.

Once the building is completed, it will host a variety of performances and events ranging from symphony orchestras to musical theater and even the high school prom. "This will be the place that the town comes to to have fun," Anderson predicted. "It will be a completely multi-use, flexible space." The plans for the theater include 250 seats which can be retracted into the wall for dances and other social events. The theater will also host a wall to wall stage. "It will be a state of the art facility," Anderson said.

In addition to remaining an important venue for the town of Middlebury, the new Town Hall Theater will also benefit students at Middlebury College. The theater will provide an additional stage on which students can perform and will employ student interns during the summer. The Language Schools, Anderson pointed out, will also get a lot of use out of the facilities during the summer.

The college will be tied in more ways than one to the revamped Town Hall Theater. The spiral staircase that is to be erected within the bell tower will be constructed out of marble recycled from the old library. "The theater will continue to be a place where we from the College on the Hill can come together with the town that gave birth and sustenance to the town's college," reflected Professor Tom Beyer. Along with teaching in the Russian Department at Middlebury College, Beyer has participated in several shows at the Town Hall Theater, including "Chicago" and "Little Shop of Horrors."

"There are so many talented students, staff and faculty here, that one more place where they can be stars for a night will brighten all of our lives," Beyer said.