Page B7, THE NEWS OBSERVER, March 21, 2003
Community Theater Opens
News Observer Photo/Brian K. Finnicum
A ribbon cutting marking the opening of the
Blue Ridge Community Theater was held on March 14,
sponsored by the Fannin County Chamber of
Commerce. Blue Ridge Community Theater
President Mike Pruitt said the group was very
pleased to now have a home in the community.
"This theater was built by the
community. It is for the community,"
Pruitt said. "We're looking forward to
the theater being a part of the fabric of life in
Blue Ridge." Present for the ribbon
cutting were, front row from left, theater Office
Manager Elizabeth Hunt, Joe Webb, Pruitt, Fannin
County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Chairwoman
Mardee Kauffman, theater Secretary Pat Webb,
Artistic Director Dan Pruitt, chamber President
Cindy Pack, chamber Membership Services Chairman
Stan Washofsky and chamber Ambassador Diana Henkel.
Others present included chamber ambassadors Janice
Bailey, Stacy Lewis, Tammy Arp-Jones, Martha
Prince, Allison Fanelli, Nathan Fitts, Tracie
Griffith and Lisa Adkisson; chamber Executive
Director Jan Hackett and Membership Services
Coordinator Elaine Dilbeck; theater board of
directors member Gigi Garrett; Fannin County
Economic Development Director Carolyn Wills, Bill
Hammond of BB&T Bank in Blue Ridge and Mike
Lacy of Multitudes Gallery.
(Artist drawing of Hampton Square Building, home
to Blue Ridge Community Theater)
It Does Take A Village (To Build A Theater)
CONFLUENCE, February 2003,
Volume 2, No. 1, by Patricia Webb,
The building
professionals are astounded! How did a group
of volunteers construct a 132-seat indoor theater
in only three days--using only VOLUNTEERS?
Believe it or not, that
was exactly what happened recently as the Blue
Ridge community Theater mobilized a veritable army
of theater supporters to carve a
professional-quality theater out of raw space at
the Hampton Square building in downtown Blue
Ridge.
All 100 hours of actual
construction time were volunteered.
Professionals volunteered their services.
Leaders, planners and organizers spent hundreds of
volunteer hours in the intricate detailed
planning. An then, there are those skilled
volunteers who were able to juggle their time and
use their skills to build a theater!
Above
Photos by Erma Gladieux
Crew Chief Joe Webb's
knowledge and organizational skills made the
actual construction pure enjoyment. Myer
Birnbaum, Bill Jefferson and Bill Marsh
contributed to the planning and led the teams into
action. Elizabeth Hunt, Helen McMahon, Dee
Noegel and Pat Webb kept the workers in supply of
food. And without Glen Berns' flexibility,
it could not have been accomplished.
Special thanks to Allen
Settles and Ace Hardware for their assistance with
materials, as well as all the unnamed volunteers
who worked so hard. It really does take a
village!
THEATER GROUP FINDS
NEW HOME IN BLUE RIDGE
News Observer photo/Cynthia
Maude
Blue Ridge is
to have its own theater in the new Hampton
Square.... Mike Fleeman, membership
coordinator (left) and president of the board Mike
Pruitt check the progress at the construction
site. "We need community support for the
effort," Pruitt said.
Click on the
picture above or go to the "News
Articles" section to read the accompanying
article by Cynthia Maude of The News Observer.
New
Place, New Space, New Face!
Prayers do get
answered. Gateway Mountain Players is happy
to announce our move from our Main Street location
to the new Hampton Square consortium.
Hampton Square, designed by architectural firm
Smith Dalia whose past projects have included the
King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta, promises to be
an exciting new addition to Blue Ridge
life. Located at 11 Mountain
St., with high-design, high-concept shops, a
restaurant, an alpaca wool processing exhibit and
product sales--and now with a brand new 132-seat
theater, the development is sure to become a
destination spot for both locals and visitors.
With the support of the local community, our
interim space helped our Act 3 series become
a great success. Now, with this move, the Players
will be able to create a roster of full-scale,
fully realized productions. We now have a yearly,
subscriber-driven season, and drawing on the
talents that have already been discovered and
nurtured, can create theater of which the
community may be truly proud.
And in the spirit of community, this move gives us
the opportunity to redefine ourselves in many
ways. When we establish ourselves in our new
quarters, we will become Blue Ridge Community
Theater. What will not change, we hope, is the
commitment which our board and volunteers have
brought to our endeavors thus far, and the kind
participation and support we have enjoyed from our
members and friends.
