Playhouse expansion closing in on completion

The renovation and expansion of the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts is presently in its final stages, and many of the changes to the building’s exterior are already finished.

Construction began on the project in October, and has progressed steadily since. According to project manager Walter Kuhn, structural construction is now complete and much of the work that remains is cosmetic.

Kuhn said the renovation will be “substantially complete” by mid-to-late March, after which construction crews will shift their focus to cleaning out any construction debris and re-outfitting the playhouse with sound, technical and other equipment. Kuhn estimated the finishing touches would take another four to five weeks.

The end result, Kuhn said, will be a better playhouse, which more effectively serves the needs of the community. The main component of the renovation involved the expansion of the playhouse lobby, which had previously been crowded before and after shows.

The new lobby will boast about three times as much useable square footage and a much smoother flow for foot traffic passing between the theater and the front entrance. The new design also features a recessed concessions area, where patrons can purchase refreshments before the show, as well as during intermissions, without disrupting the flow of traffic through the lobby.

The men’s restrooms have also been moved to improve traffic flow on the south end of the lobby, between the restrooms and the theater entrance.

“The theatee is supposed to be a community center,” Kuhn said, “and now it can be used as a meeting center, too. It should fit 100 people fairly comfortably, so we’re hoping to make it even more of a community center in the future, which can accommodate a variety of functions.”

Kuhn said the board of directors also decided to add a big screen television, on which power point presentations can be displayed. The 52-inch, widescreen television will be mounted in the lobby and will likely serve a number of purposes.

Besides expanding and streamlining the lobby, ticket office and concessions area, renovation plans call for the addition of tiffany lights and other cosmetic touches, additional office space, a covered area outside of the entrance, improved signage, an updated fire suppression system for the auditorium,  all-new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to more efficiently heat and cool the entire playhouse, and an improved tech control center with separate sound room, most of which has already been completed.

In the past, a single control room functioned as both a tech room and a sound room. The room overlooked the theater but sat behind a sheet of glass, allowing the tech and sound crew to see, but not hear, the performance. Sound technicians listened to the performance over speakers, which made it difficult to know how the show sounded to the audience and adjust the sound and microphones appropriately.

Although the front of the building has, until now, been concealed beneath a tarp, the front entrance was recently completed and a number of glass panels installed to improve its aesthetic appeal in the downtown area, and make it more easily identifiable as a theater.

“Just getting those front windows in made a huge difference,” Kuhn said. “Once we get the tarp off, people will be able to see just how beautiful it looks from the street.”

Crews began reinstalling donor bricks in front of the entrance earlier this week. Kuhn said that plans call for a couple of plaques to be placed near the entrance to provide some of the history of the playhouse.

The total cost of the expansion is forecast at just under a million dollars. However, fundraising efforts have already generated almost $800,000 in pledges and cash donations. That leaves about $200,000 that board members and supporters still need to pay for the expansion project. And, since the BCPA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, members are reminding the community that all donations are tax-deductible.

The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts Foundation board of directors say the playhouse will continue to be a boon to the local economy, bringing upwards of 30,000 visitors to Bigfork every summer, many of whom support the local economy in other ways.

Kuhn said he is pleased with the renovation and would be happy to give anyone who is interested a construction tour to see what has been done.

“We’re real excited about it,” Kuhn said. “We want to show it off.”

To arrange a construction tour of the renovated playhouse, Kuhn can be reached at his business office by calling 837-4550.