Members of the community met with the Waldo Theatre Board of Directors to discuss the future of Waldoboro’s community theater.
The informal meeting at the Waldoboro town office on Sept. 30 featured discussions on progress toward reopening the historic venue.
Former Waldo Theatre board member Steve Cartwright welcomed members of the public to the meeting, addressing those in attendance on the future of the theater.
“It’s had its ups and downs and it’s time to bring it up again. I’m really excited about that,” Cartwright said.
Cartwright said the theater has been a cultural resource for the town and an important place for the community’s children for years. He recalled watching his kids and kids throughout town perform in plays during his time on the theater’s board in the 1980s.
He also said that work put into the theater in past years was far from lost.
“We have got a really great theater that needs some help but it’s a good, solid building, structure, and reputation to work with, and I think if the community pulls together and supports it, there is every chance we can make it go again,” Cartwright said.
Board President and Secretary Chrys Hearth spoke on the progress made at the theater this year.
He described the past months as time spent getting the theater back into good working order.
“We have spent this year getting our oars back in water,” Hearth said.
Hearth said the theater’s finances are in pretty good shape and though the theater could probably open at some point in October, they will probably wait to open the doors until next spring as it does not make financial sense to stay open through the winter.
“We are looking at a full slate of events for next year. I would be very surprised if we didn’t have three or four dozen things at a minimum,” Hearth said.
Board member Tod Widdecombe supported Hearth’s assessment, saying the theater could open for a profitable event this fall but the costs of turning the water on and off, in addition to heating the building, led to the decision to open in the spring.
“I think at this point we could be open in two weeks if something came up that would be profitable to open the building up,” Widdecombe said.
Hearth said that the theater is still looking for support from fundraisers to keep the power on and to finish up projects around the theater.
“Once the theater is open and running with a full slate we shouldn’t have any serious problems keeping up with the ongoing expenses,” Hearth said.
Responding to a question from the public on the role of kids programming in the future of the theater, Hearth said kids shows are really critical to the Waldo and something the venue needs to address moving forward.
“That is a very important piece of what we are about,” Hearth said.
On the topic of creating a membership organization to support the Waldo, he said the theater is not a membership organization.
“Our articles of incorporation state that we are not a membership organization,” Hearth said.
However, Hearth said the board was looking into expanding a program to facilitate contributor, patron, or donor programs to support the theater in the community.
“It’s supposed to be the community’s theater,” Hearth said.
Board member Oren Robinson, the newest member of the board and a self-described agitator at previous meetings, said he believes the current board is working to amend the differences between the board and the community that had existed in the past.
He also urged members of the public to keep agitating and working together to bring the Waldo Theatre back.
“There was a large, large gap between the community and the board and I think this board is trying to bridge that,” Robinson said.
Following the meeting, members of the public in attendance noted their desire to see the Waldo up and running again.
Barbara Boardman said she hoped an open theater would help draw visitors to downtown Waldoboro.
“I want to see it open again. I want to see cars parked up and down Main Street,” Boardman said.
Cartwright said he hoped for more community involvement and more transparency from the board moving forward.
A recent instance of community efforts to support the theatre took place a couple of weeks ago.
Wolliker’s Waldoboro Whimsies, a monthly flea market and craft bazaar, hosted their sale on Sept. 27 at the VFW Hall on Mill Street to benefit the Waldo Theatre.
Money raised at the event helped to support the Light up the Waldo effort to finance repairs at the Waldo Theatre.
