By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
After a half-century of stage surfing, the Black Swamp Players have found what they hope is a permanent home.
The theater troupe has reached an agreement to lease for two years with the option buy the old church on Oak Street, the former home of Plan, Do, and Talk.
The troupe has already begun moving props out of its storage unit into the space.
The Players will stage the 2019-2020 three-production season in the First United Methodist Church, its temporary home since 2000. The church had informed the Players earlier this year that this would be the last season they would be able to accommodate BSP productions.
That pressed the board to make a decision, said Lane Hakel, the Players’ immediate past president. They “pulled the trigger” on the space at 115 Oak Street more quickly knowing their arrangement with the Methodists was coming to an end.
This was one of two venues the Players looked at this summer, said Heath Diehl, president of the Players. One was a barn that had a number of issues that would have needed to be dealt with.
But the Oak Street church had a large sanctuary that “we could imagine as a stage space. … We could immediately see it in a lot of different configurations.”
And it has other spaces, including a commercial kitchen, that would be useful “for others who may want to partner with us,” Diehl said. “There were a lot of plusses for that building. … We want to maximize its use”
One of those advantages is its downtown location, Hakel said. That opens up the possibility of “dinner and a show.”
Because the building has been in recent use, it is in good shape, and already has an occupancy permit. It does need a “deep cleaning.”
“We could go in there tomorrow and do things,” Diehl said. “But in order to be the space we really think that the community needs we’ll need five (years).”
The venue will be ready to host the 2020-2021 season.
Hakel said that the impact extends beyond the cast and crew who get to express their love of theater through the Players’ shows. “We have an impact on the community that’s beyond our own interests.”
While working on a show at the Croswell Opera House in Adrian, Michigan, he saw an economic impact report that showed how much a boost the theater was to the city. He said it was “gigantic.”
The Players need to look at the theater’s impact on the community “and build on that,” Hakel said.
Renovating the theater will take human labor, time, and money.
The troupe will need expertise during the renovation process “to help us imagine how we can use this space effectively,” Diehl said.
No one on the board has been involved in converting a church into a theater. There are local precedents — both the Fort Findlay Players and the Toledo Rep are housed in former churches.
The troupe plans to host a few open houses in the space to give the public a peek at what’s in store. They may also stage some readings and other events in the new space.
Diehl said they are confident given showtimes that they have enough parking for now in the nearby public lots and streets.
Hakel said the troupe is appreciative of the church’s hospitality. Still since its founding the troupe has dreamed of having its own space, one more conducive to theater.
Also, being in a church puts a crimp on what plays can be produced. Hakel said he couldn’t remember the church ever vetoing a production, though it did ask on a few occasions for some language to be changed. The script selection committee did feel constricted in what it could pick.
For example, the play Hakel is now in at Croswell, “Sherlock Holmes and the Elusive Ear,” while not off-color, is probably not quite “wholesome” enough to pass muster.
Making this a reality will take a lot of money. Gifts from Tom and Dianne Klein and Milt and Lee Hakel provided the seed money to get the troupe to this point. The purchase alone will cost about $200,000, and Hakel and Diehl estimate it will cost another $200,000 to $300,000 to finish the project properly.
The Players will host a one-night fundraising production of “Murder at the Pie Auction” at the Simpson Building, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.
Pies baked by members of the board and supporters will be auctioned off during the hour-long show.
Fifteen months ago, Hakel said, the Players were having “a very different conversation about the future of the organization”
Then the board voted to suspend operations at the conclusion of its 50th season. But even as they were making that decision Hakel and others hoped that just maybe the announcement would bring in “new ideas, new blood, new energy.”
That materialized, and the Players kept the final curtain from falling.
Diehl was one of the new players to step up.
He’s been active in the Humane Society and planned that when his role there diminished he would join the Players. The announcement of the troupe’s imminent demise pushed him to act.
Diehl, who teaches at the Bowling Green State University Honors College, has been active in theater since his college years. He did take a hiatus when he started his teaching career.
Director Sara Chambers brought him back on stage in the role of the minister in “A Perfect Wedding” at the university in November 2015.
In addition to being president, he’s been active recently with the Players as an actor, director and back stage.
Now the troupe is starting a new chapter. “What I love about this process,” Diehl said, “is it brings out so many new ideas. People are getting excited about having this new space.”
