Our local theater is called the Hippodrome, and it is almost 60 years old.
A historic venue used for plays and musical shows for decades on end, the place is in a state of disarray that we are trying to fix.
Although it is old and revered, it does not generate a lot of cash flow, so many small nagging problems have been going on for years. Now enough of those little things have grown into big things, and people no longer like coming here. Our Summer Series of plays was always our busiest time of year, but thanks to the lack of proper air conditioning the summers are now the worst for attendance. It is very disheartening to have all your creative work nullified because of an ancient air conditioning system. The cost for getting a new HVAC system for such a place is pretty outrageous, so we really don’t know what to do aside from raise money. I contacted a few of the local HVAC contractors and asked if they wanted to “sponsor” the Hippodrome by donating some work. In return we would advertise for them and say they helped produce the play, but none of them thought it was a fair trade for such a big AC installation. Instead we are going to hold a series of fundraisers, along with mini 1-act plays in outside areas, to raise money for a new HVAC system. It will take a small miracle, I think, because you don’t understand how big an HVAC we need to buy, but we have to try.