GREENFIELD — A community effort to support a downtown theater is gaining momentum.
The Friends of the Theater — Hancock County, was first organized to bolster the finances of the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts after it lost its line item in the county budget in 2017. Recently, the group earned its 501c3 nonprofit status and has plans in the works for a fundraising campaign, officials said Monday.
A group of concerned citizens first began meeting in September after the county’s proposed 2018 budget stripped guaranteed funding from the bottom line of the theater at 122 W. Main St., which is owned and operated by the Hancock County Visitors Bureau.
Those individuals decided to form a board to assist with projects aimed at keeping the facility open and thriving, according to a news release.
The organization now includes a nine-member board comprising local performers, business owners and arts supporters.
The board is preparing to launch a campaign inviting community members to become “friends” of the theater — a $25 membership — and is seeking corporate sponsorships for larger projects. A website — hctheaterfriends.org — is expected to go live later this week, and donations will be accepted on the site, said board president Amy Studabaker.
Board members aim to raise $10,000 through membership and sponsorship by the end of 2018, Studabaker said.
The board has been meeting monthly since late 2017 to finalize its membership structure and brainstorm upcoming projects while awaiting the group’s designation as a 501c3 nonprofit, which allows it to accept tax-deductible donations, according to a news release. The group received its nonprofit designation earlier this year, said board member Randy Sorrell.
Last fall, the Hancock County Tourism Commission agreed to provide a grant to fund operations but encouraged operators of the theater to seek community support. Members of the Friends of the Theater hope they’re the answer to that call.
“I think the makeup of our board alone shows the kind of backing the Ricks has across this community,” Studabaker said. “It’s encouraging to see so many people come together, from patrons to performers, for a common cause.”
NineStar Connect offered the organization a $500 grant to get started; those dollars are earmarked for window dressing and other cosmetic updates to the front of the theater.
The group expects to announce its first big fundraising campaign in the coming weeks, board vice president Noelle Russell said.
Friends of the Theater board members are working with the HCVB to discern what needs improvement at the historic theater, and of those needs, which is the most pressing, Studabaker said. Several items expected to make the list are repairs to the marquee, updated dressing rooms and new theater seats.
The Ricks first opened in 1946 as the Weil Theater and became the Village Theatre in the 1980s. In 2005, owners Linda and Allen Strahl donated the theater to the visitors bureau for use as a community arts center. That same year, a $700,000 renovation began, restoring some of the theater’s vintage decor to complement the downtown historic district, Scott said.
The building, which seats about 400 people, welcomes about 50 to 75 community events throughout the year, including the George and Icy Vaughn talent competition, film festivals, dance performances and live theater.
Russell said the Friends would like to see patrons of the Ricks take an active role in keeping it alive for future generations to enjoy.
“The tourism commission graciously funded the theater’s operations this year, but there’s no guarantee for next year or the year after,” Russell said. “We need the community to show its support.”
