There was a time when uptown Gallatin was the place to go, especially on Saturday night. And the place to be was the Courter Theater. The Gallatin Theatre League (GTL) would like to restore the Courter Theater to its former glory.
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They have set a goal of raising $100,000 to upgrade the inside and outside of the building. They plan to raise the money a little at a time through grants and special events.
Along with the regular season of productions, the spring play Pajama Game, the Summer Youth production of High School Musical and the upcoming fall play, the theatre league is planning monthly events for the remainder of the year.
The theatre league is very excited about the upcoming country music night set for next Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. Grand River Opry is a blue grass show featuring Back Forty; The D-Strings; Michelle and Melissa Gay; Jackie Nichols; Morgan Francis; Wes Gay and Jan Stout. "This will be a fun concert," said Paul Caven, first vice-president of the theatre league. "Come out and join us for an evening of great foot taping music and that special brand of theatre league humor."
A special fund-raiser is planned for September during Chautauqua. "Help Us Feather Our Nest!" is a birdhouse building competition. All donated birdhouses will be judged for the top three ribbon prizes, and then auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the theatre league. GTL president, Elaine Bohannon, would like to challenge the area businesses and individuals to participate in this fun and worthwhile project. "We also want to invite everyone to purchase a birdhouse at the auction, which will be held Saturday evening, Sept. 19, prior to the performance by Dammit Jim." (see ad in paper for entry forms, or at Gallatin Lumber Co.)
On Oct. 10 the Gallatin Theatre League will officially celebrate their 25th anniversary with a fundraising dinner. The evening will include a wonderful meal provided by Tammy Gay, entertainment by members of the theatre league and a live auction." We hope to establish this as an annual event to raise money to continue the much needed renovation of the Courter Theater" Paul said.
Theatre members have an extensive wish list for refurbishing the theater, but a new stage is an imperative. The stage has seen a lot of wear and tear through the years. The cost to replace the stage is estimated at about $10,000.
Members would like to reduce the number of seats in the theater, from 320 to 250 and replace the old worn out seats with "new" refurbished seats at an estimated cost $26,000. The seats will be reconfigured to eliminate seating behind the pole. Several wheelchair seating areas will be added, and a new center aisle from the lobby into the theater will be created with the new design.
League members will be doing some of the work themselves, removing the old stage floor and making any needed repairs to the supporting structure, and removing all of the old seats.
Once the old seats are removed the original theater floor will be cleaned and refinished. "It will cost about $7,000 to get the gum off the theater floor," Paul said jokingly.
The new stage, refinished theater floor, new seats, and construction for the new entry is estimated at $46,000.
The League’s wish list doesn’t stop there. Upgrades to the entrance area would include restoring the original façade and a new ticket window. They have researched the original Courter Theater and found out there were French doors across the front of the theater. They have also contacted a company in Kansas City about replacing the neon sign and restoring the marquee. Cost is around $12,000 for the sign and repairs to the marquee. The total cost of upgrading the front of the theater is estimated at $50,000.
While there is more to do at the theater, the above work covers the major issues.
"The theatre league has been around for 25 years, and that’s a testament to community and area support," said Paul. "The theater could once again be a real gem for the community."