Melissa Ohlman Roberge, Jim Nash and Cindy Rice of Davidson Community Players, outside the group’s new Armour Street home.

By NATHAN HARTLE
DavidsonNews.net

With the upcoming renovation of their new playhouse, the Davidson Community Players (DCP) are looking forward to the end of their theater-hopping days.

Executive Director Cindy Rice called the purchase and remodeling of the old Baptist church on Armour and Watson streets—the group’s first permanent home—“the realization of a 45-year dream.”

“This is just a huge step for this organization. This will allow us to expand our programming. It gives us some stability. It gives us a place [for our volunteers] to gather,” Ms. Rice explained, adding that the lack of a permanent home has always limited the group’s activities.

Melissa Ohlman-Roberge , DCP’s resident director, said that though the scale of the project initially seemed “daunting” given the organization’s limited resources, things are going very well. “When you’re forced to, you come up with all sorts of interesting solutions for things.”

The group first learned about the building’s availability when Ms. Ohlman-Roberge’s husband, Kevin, spotted an ad for it in a newspaper classified advertisement. Though the group had doubts upon first viewing the property, they quickly realized its potential.

“When we began examining the needs of the organization, we began to realize [the playhouse] is really perfect for our permanent home.” Ms. Rice says. “Even if we were able to, at some point in the future, build a larger theatre … we would still maintain [this theater] for those small, intimate shows, and for children’s theatre.”

TOWN PURCHASE, PLAYERS LEASE

Davidson Community Players couldn’t afford to purchase the theater on its own. But the town of Davidson purchased the building when town officials saw the value such a performance space would have to the community.

DCP now leases the building from the town for approximately $25,000 per year, which covers half the town’s annual debt service on the $625,000 loan it took to buy the building. The group is seeking donations to pay for the renovation. Its initial goal is $250,000, of which approximately $125,000 has been raised so far.

The renovation of the newly christened Armour Street Theatre is scheduled to begin in June, and is intended to make the building – built in 1964 – suitable for theatrical presentations. The renovations must bring the building into compliance with the current building code.

Dave Malushizky, the architect in charge of the playhouse’s renovation, said that though the building is solid, “It needs a little TLC.” In addition to guiding the renovations, he is helping DCP to navigate potentially tricky building-code issues. Mr. Malushizky works with The Lawrence Group, a local architecture and planning firm, and is providing his services free to the theater group.

Among the plans for the building are the removal of both the current stage and some of the surrounding walls, which will create more room at the front of the building and bring the performers down to ground level. An electrical upgrade will be needed to provide power for theatrical lighting

Particularly expensive will be the heating and air-conditioning upgrade. Though the building’s large windows will provide some ventilation, bringing the HVAC unit up to snuff will consume a significant portion of the project’s budget.

One of the more “theatrical” additions to the building will be the construction of raised, stadium-style seating. The original pews will be lifted onto four ascending levels of platforms, improving the view considerably for those in the rear. The theater is expected to seat 120.

Outside the building, plans include the construction of a covered entryway to guard patrons against inclement weather. A ramp will be added for handicap accessibility.

NOVEMBER OPENING
The organization plans to put on its first production in the new playhouse in November, after the renovation is finished. Entitled “Working,” the play is a musical by Stephen Schwartz, writer of the Broadway hit “Wicked,” and is based on Studs Terkel’s 1972 book about working-class America.

Meanwhile, the group will hold its summer productions in the Duke Family Performance Hall on Davidson College’s campus, as usual. This year’s plays include “Little Women” and “Lend Me a Tenor,” and are scheduled for June and July, respectively.

Though the renovation and fund-raising process is just beginning, DCP has been impressed by the interest and generosity of the Davidson community. Board chairman Jay Butler said residents are enthusiastic about projects like this. “There are a lot of people in this community who just love theater,” he said.

More about Davidson Community Players and its upcoming productions may be found on its website, www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to correct information about the Davidson Community Players’ payments to the town. The Players’ annual rent covers half the town’s debt service, not the whole sum.