Donations Sought for Hurricane Irene Repair at Wilton Playhouse

When the lights went out in Wilton during Tropical Storm Irene, they really went out at the Wilton Playshop. The theatrical lighting system, which has been operating on a wing and a prayer for years, finally gave up the ghost. The timing could not have been worse, as The Playshop's 75th season is about to get underway with the opening of the musical Company on Nov. 4. 

The Playshop has been bedeviled with fiscal and mechanical difficulties throughout the year, but this was a particularly severe blow.  A new lighting system is needed and it will be bloody difficult to pay for. The price tag is $38,500, with at least $10,000 needed by Oct. 10. That's the date planned for installation. Hence, The Playshop has embarked on an emergency fund-raising campaign called "Donate Brilliantly."

The Playshop has an up-to-date digital lighting board, but that is only one component of the system. The other is a gangly collection of thick black electric patch cords that looks like something even Lily Tomlin's character Ernestine the telephone operator might be wary of. The patch cords send an analog signal to the board. The task of translating the analog signal to the digital board falls to a third component - something called a response box. The system is so old - decades old - the box cannot be replaced.

The system has always been finicky, to say the least. Ms. Pforzheimer and Genia Meinhold, who handles publicity for The Playshop, can tell story after story of weird lighting experiences.

Like the Christmas show that suddenly went dark and had to be completed with the audience pointing flashlights on the stage. Or the student summer production that had to be done under two work lights - no spots, no fading in or out. Or the time the lights would not turn off at all, even after everything was unplugged. Only when the master switch was turned off did they finally go out.

But now, there are no fixes, no Band-Aids, no jerryrigging that can be done. Ms. Pforzheimer got quotes from four vendors who did "a lot of head shaking" when they came to bid. "They were looking at it like it was a Model T Ford," she said of the patch cord setup.

"We can't afford top-of-the line ... we chose one of the middle systems," she said. It will stop the lighting fluctuations and allow the theater crew to have control from backstage and the lighting booth, something not possible now. In fact, someone backstage has to patch cords into sockets and communicate with the lighting booth now, via walkie-talkie, during a show. It will also stop the humming noises coming from the lights which, while not audible to the audience, can be very distracting to the actors. "This is our 75th season," Ms. Meinhold said. "I can't in my heart believe the citizens of Wilton don't want this to go forward."

About five years ago when the current board took over, Ms. Pforzheimer said, The Playshop was $25,000 in debt. Since then, The Playshop got out of its financial hole and in the black, but the building - an old goat barn - is high maintenance and its location near the Norwalk River makes it prone to flooding.

In addition to the lighting meltdown, The Playshop also suffered flooding in the basement, downed wires, and damage when a tree came down on the building, all due to Tropical Storm Irene. The resulting electrical surges took out the lights, stereo, speakers, phone, security system and sump pump.

Ticket sales only pay for 20% to 30% of The Playshop's bills, Ms. Pforzheimer said. The rest of their expenses are covered by fund raising. Those expenses include theatrical rights to the plays they put on; costume rentals; gobos (specialized lighting fixtures); salaries for musicians, musical directors, and directors (everyone else volunteers); and printing for posters and tickets. There are also the everyday expenses like heat, electricity, and general maintenance.  As one of the oldest continuing operating theaters, The Playshop is featured in the Fairfield Museum's Bravo show.

The Wilton Playshop is located at 15 Lovers Lane PO Box 363 Wilton, CT 06897

For further information or to make a donation, please call: 203-762-7629 or visit: WWW.WILTONPLAYSHOP.ORG

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