February, 2007: Our stage floor renovation is done, on time and on budget. Some say it was a miracle. We used the stage and the Green Room below for the fall show "All My Sons" where we tried out the new "trap zone" by cutting a trap into the stage for a bulkhead. The current show "Lend Me A Tenor" has its set in place ready for opening night. The Green Room and dressing rooms are back in full use by casts and crews.
We are still raising money to pay for the project. To date we have raised almost $90,000 from community individual and corporate donations. Together with $60, 000 from the Concord Community Preservation Fund and the balance from The Concord Players strategic reserve, we were able to pay for the renovation.
But we must replace the reserve. We applied to the Concord Community Preservation Committee for an additional $60,000, received conditional approval, and are on the warrant for the 2007 Annual Town Meeting. If that is granted we will still have $30, 000 left to raise. Any donation, large or small will help. Scroll to the bottom of this page or click here if you are able to make a donation.
Picture taken Wednesday, August 30, 2006. The stage and the stage extension are done but the paint trap still has to be cut in. The dust barrier is down and we have started to clean up the hall. The Green Room below the stage (you can still see into it just under the stage) is almost ready for the rough inspections. We are 8 1/2 weeks into the renovation.
Click on the picture for a full set of pictures of the renovation.
The Project
The wooden floor of the drama stage at 51 Walden Street, home of FOPAC, has been replaced. The old floor surface had been chewed up from 84 years of heavy use. There were holes from an old heating system. There were gaps that would trip a dancer or actor. The floor had a gentle theater rake, but the rake was bowed making construction of level sets very difficult.
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Analysis of the stage floor was conducted by a structural engineering firm. They concluded that the original wooden stage built in 1922 did not meet the current Massachusetts code for weight bearing capacity. In some areas the floor was more than 100 pounds per square foot UNDER the code.
Therefore in order to ensure the safety of the performers and adhere to current code, we had to make the required structural repairs to the floor.
The Green Room |
From decades of use by hundreds of shows the current Green Room and dressing rooms were badly in need of renovation. They are directly beneath the stage floor. To make the structural repairs to the stage floor, all the rooms beneath the stage floor were completely demolished and have been re-built. Thus, the whole area under the stage has been renovated
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The Green Room renovated
Sketch by architect Dan
Broggi, Four
Architecture, Inc. Boston who has generously volunteered his
time to design this project. |
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The Cost
The cost for the entire project was approximately $240,000. Work was completed in the summer and fall of 2006 - ready for the 87th season for the Concord Players.
Raising money to pay for the project has been a huge undertaking. Since the building is owned by the Town of Concord, we turned to the town for help in funding the renovation. An initial request for $60,000 from the Concord Community Preservation Fund was approved by Town Meeting in April of 2006. As a matching funds appropriation, we had to raise money privately, and to date we have received nearly $90,000 from appeal letters mailed to subscribers and friends. An application for an additional $60,000 has received conditional approval from the Community Preservation Committee and is on the warrant for the April 2007 Town Meeting. We are grateful that the town recognizes the historic value of 51 Walden, as well as the cultural activities it provides to the community. But even if the second application is approved, to reach the full $240,000 we have a long way to go... (see What
You Can do to Help below)
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51 Walden Street is an important, cultural and performing arts facility in Concord and it is a wonderful resource for our community. It has a long and distinguished history. It has served the town well in many capacities over many years.
It was built as an armory in 1887 by the town and used by military companies for many years. Damaged by fire in 1912, the building was repaired by the town in 1920 and renamed "The Veterans Building". The Concord Players were founded in 1919 and a theatrical stage was constructed in 1922 made entirely of wood.
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Friends of the Performing Arts in Concord (FOPAC) was incorporated in 1972 and charged to renovate the building and operate it as a center for the performing arts hosting countless events for our community. You may have enjoyed performances by one of the FOPAC groups in residence—the Concord Players, the Concord Band, or the Concord Orchestra. Since 1972, hundreds of residents have participated in these performances and audiences have numbered in the thousands. Someone in your family may have taken dance lessons in the studio upstairs or attended a concert put on by one of many of the visiting musical groups. This facility is an extraordinary resource for our town.
FOPAC and the resident groups have gone well beyond their responsibilities under the terms of the lease from the town concerning maintenance and upkeep of 51 Walden. In the mid-1970s the Players built a workshop behind the stage to construct scenery and work on sets. The Orchestra installed acoustical panels for the music stage as well as a reverberation enhancement system to improve the building for musical performances. FOPAC funded the renovations of the public rest rooms, and in 1999, the Players and FOPAC raised funds to reinforce the proscenium arch and the grid and replaced counterweight system on the stage.
It is a treasure to be maintained and preserved carefully for the benefit
of future generations
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This is only the second time in the history of FOPAC and the Players that we have appealed directly to the public for financial support. Think hard about what 51 Walden means to you, your family, and our community.
Please be as generous
as you can be in support of this important project.
We are accepting donations only by check. Please make your
check payable to:
Concord Players 51 Walden Renovations and send to:
The Concord Players
51 Walden Renovations
P. O. Box 22
Concord, MA 01742
