To the Editor:
I have lived in Waldoboro for over 27 years and have seen the Waldo Theatre open and close its doors under various directors. The first show I saw there was comedian Tim Sample.
Flash forward a number of years and my son appeared on stage there for the first time in community theater when he was 8 years old. He went on to appear in many productions, both youth theater and predominately adult shows. It was a wonderful, unique opportunity in this town that drew in people from the surrounding area.
I have also served on the board for The Waldo Theatre, primarily during the recession. I tried very hard to get to get community involvement and financial support, but it wasn’t the right time. Several of the board members went to meetings about downtown revitalization and looked into ways that we could get grants to make much-needed repairs and renovations.
Simply put, we needed money to make money, even for the grants, and it just wasn’t there.
The building is beautiful and possesses the great character of by-gone era. I would love to see it restored while keeping that charm. When I saw Tim Sample, that was probably 25 years ago and it was so hot in the building. It was a nice surprise when I went back in another time to find air conditioning. It takes considerable money to provide electricity and heat to a building that size, and all of these things need to be maintained.
I have enjoyed many of the talents brought in from other places – touring musicians, stage shows, puppetry, magicians, etc. What my family has gotten the most out of, however, is the community stage productions and youth theater. During my time on the board, we emphasized keeping everything accessible to local families.
Ideally I would like to see The Waldo Theatre, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, be able to draw in elite entertainment that in turn brings people to our community and supports other local businesses as well – lodging, restaurants, bars, retail, galleries, etc. At the same time, I would like to see the community and youth programs continue.
If the building can be restored and become a well-respected venue for artists, then the local musicians, actors, and those who are just learning should be able to reap some benefit as well. Our productions could be grander, directors could get a stipend, and the entire community benefits in a sustainable downtown theater.
These three goals – restoration, elite entertainment, and youth and community productions – should not be mutually exclusive. It should be entirely possible to create a schedule of attractive events that draw people from around the state or further, predominantly during the peak season for tourism.
Schedule the community events around that calendar. If we do something like this, everyone wins. What we need is for people to commit to trying to make this all come together.
I’m willing to help. Who’s with me?
