The Finke Theatre is finally expanding.
The Friends of the Finke Theatre board posted a statement on Facebook Friday evening kicking off its campaign for a new building expansion. The statement said this will be a new facility added onto the side of the historic building.
"The Finke Theatre has been a cherished cultural hub in our community for many years, providing entertainment, inspiration, and a sense of belonging to countless individuals. However, as our theatre's popularity and demand for our programs have grown, we find ourselves in need of additional space to fully realize our potential," the statement read. "The expansion we are proposing will bring essential facilities under one roof, including rehearsal spaces, set building areas, prop storage, a costume room, a board meeting room, and dressing rooms."
Construction will install a new 40-foot by 36-foot building placed beside the existing structure. Finke Theatre Administrator Andrew Korte told the Democrat the build will come off of "stage left" near the side of the initial building in the back. The addition would fill in the L-shaped structure -- and make it more of a square.
Korte said the theatre is at "max capacity" for props, costumes, sets and more, utilizing the entirety of its basement, attic and closet space. He also explained larger objects, such as instruments and set pieces, must be carried in and out of the building's front doors.
"Every time we have a band, or...anything here, they have to load into the front doors. So everything has to come across our carpets, and then go through these little tiny doorways (to the stage). And our woodwork gets beat up, the walls. I mean, as safe as you try to be, you know, stuff just gets beat up," Korte said. "With the new building, (storage) would be at ground level, and it would connect to our existing dressing rooms underneath (the first floor). There'll be four new dressing rooms in there...and there'd be a garage door there that would come in at ground level and that would just be like storage underneath there."
He said the new building will connect to the side of the stage so staff can move materials from storage directly into the theatre. The first floor, above the ground level floor, will also include a meeting room, a bathroom, a rehearsal space and a prop building room.
"(Props and sets) would be brought in straight into the stage. There'll also be a 9-foot door on there, at that level up here. So our bands and stuff would be able to load in straight through there and straight onto the stage as well," Korte said. "So it would totally eliminate all this stuff having to come through the actual theater to get to the stage. Then above, in the attic space, there will actually be an open area...and so that would be where our props and our costumes and all that stuff would go up there."
Korte said this expansion is something the theater needed for a long time. He said now that it's producing more musicals and plays, extra space has become a necessity. Getting more community involvement gives the theatre a larger cast to work with. Although the board sees this as a plus it becomes difficult to maintain with only a couple dressing rooms for actors. The theatre's current production, "Beauty and the Beast," has almost 40 cast members it has to accommodate.
"During Newsies, we actually had to bring in a camper and park it out back just so that we would have enough of a place for everybody to go to change clothes and stuff. People were getting ready in the bathrooms up here. And It doesn't work," Korte said. "We've had really good success with those shows. And as far as ticket sales, I think we've sold over 700 tickets to Beauty and The Beast already."
Korte wants the community to know the board is not planning on remodeling or redoing the historic Finke Theatre building but rather adding on to it.
"A concern that some people had was 'Were we going to be changing the existing building?' Absolutely not," Korte said. "This building is a historic building. It is staying exactly the way it is. Nothing will change within the theater. Nothing will change within the concessionary. (The expansion) is...a completely separate building - just connected to the side of the stage there."
The board is managing a $200,000 campaign for the expansion, including furniture and other items. Korte said M and M Construction Solutions LLC will be the builder for the expansion with all materials purchased locally. Construction will break ground on Sept. 11 and donations will pay off the theatre's construction loan to complete the build.
Donors can contribute through the Finke Theatre's official website, http://www.finketheatre.com/building-expansion-project.html, where they see more in-depth plans for the expansion. Korte said they can donate directly to the build's Gofundme page for the build, send money to the theatre's Venmo, pledge a donation or write a check to the organization.
"We believe that this expansion is a project that will transform our theatre and community, and we invite you to be a part of it. Your support, whether through a donation, sponsorship or partnership, will directly contribute to the success of this initiative. As a token of our gratitude, we have developed donor recognition levels that include various benefits, from exclusive previews to naming opportunities within the new building," the Finke Theatre's Facebook statement read. "Your generosity will not only contribute to the bricks and mortar of our expansion but will also play an essential role in the creative growth, education and shared experiences that will unfold within these walls for years to come."