A Message from the President

By Jim Petsche
Posted: May 11, 2010

Our Harlem Road Playhouse: One Acre, Endless Possibilities

Curtain Players who act upon its stage and audience members who settle into its seats know the charms and challenges of the community theatre company's Harlem Road playhouse.

Curtain Players owns its building and one-acre parcel outright, and although moving into town is suggested to us from time to time, home is where we want to stay. As more and more people move to Harlem Township and the surrounding Westerville, Galena, Sunbury and New Albany communities, Curtain Players is proud to be an accessible and affordable arts resource for our neighbors. We want to continue to be a lively exciting venue for creative pursuits to be discovered, developed, and appreciated.

The intimacy of our playhouse enhances the experience and emotion of storytelling. The historic structure, a former church dating to 1837, adds to its allure as a special destination in the country. That's the charm. What are the challenges? A small lobby makes it difficult and uncomfortable for a full house of patrons to mix and mingle. On rainy nights and cold evenings the line to the ticket table extends out the door and audience members cannot go outside during intermission. Backstage real estate is at a premium. Ask any director charged with plotting a play's course or anyone in a cast numbering more than five. They know well the economy of movement. Sufficient and secure storage and the parking puzzle are other concerns.

As Curtain Players nears its golden anniversary celebration in 2012–2013, this is the perfect time to invest in the playhouse that has been our home for nearly 30 years. We must compose a strategic plan, an outline of what can be done and when, to ensure that this "community in theatre" continues well beyond birthday number 50. We are shining the spotlight on building and property issues that will improve the safety and comfort of those using the theatre, that will provide the space and resources for creative types to fully realize their potential, and that will provide the community a more vital arts organization.

At this stage of the project, there are endless possibilities and we want to note each and every one. This is your opportunity to be an architect and designer and help us identify short- and long-term needs and how to address them. A strategic plan for the property is the goal. It will take ideas, research, planning and fundraising to make the points of the plan a reality. A committee is forming to distill all the endless possibilities into that workable plan.

We conducted a town hall meeting on the subject April 24 but there were but a few in attendance. The conversation was fruitful but all agree we want to hear more from more of you. What do you want to see in the Harlem Road playhouse? Please share your thoughts, ideas. and dreams by contacting Mark Rasche at mrasche@curtainplayers.com. Mark is the board member charged with managing the property.

And when Curtain Players marks 50 years in 2012–2013, some of those endless possibilities may be reality or soon to be such.

Signature of Jim Petsche