MONTICELLO — In the last week of 1999, the Monticello Theatre Association’s Camp Creek Playhouse burned to the ground. The space, which had been home to the theater company for a decade, was entirely lost. But now, the group is rising from the ashes with a new look, new leadership, and most importantly, a new theater.
Carl Sebens knows how much a new theater means to the association more than anyone. A veteran of the organization since 1976, he’s been involved in theater in Monticello and Decatur for most of his life, ever since starring in a high school production of “The King and I” in 1962. Today, he serves as the organization’s building trustee and remodeling chairman, and has been assigned to make the building at 1406 N. Market St. in Monticello, the company’s new home.
“In the past 10 years, we’ve kind of dwindled down to almost nothing, so this was really needed,” Sebens said. “Now the membership is growing quickly again. We had a dozen new members at the last meeting. People want to be in the shows, and they’re excited about the building opening.”
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To the organization, the new theater will be more than just a space for performances, but a future community staple and a home for innovation. The theatre association will be able to stage more productions without having to book guest locations, as it has over the past 10 abbreviated seasons.
“People see the building and it cements our status as being active in Monticello,” said Sebens, who also has directed and starred in Monticello and Theatre 7 productions. “We’ll be able to do shows with more teeth to them. The possibilities are very exciting.”
The completed building will house a dinner theater space that also will be rented out for community events, weddings and parties. Remodeling work has been under way since the summer, as theater volunteers chip in hours after their day jobs, fitting the former vacuum machinery factory for its new role. Predictably, there have been pitfalls.
“There have been quite a few obstacles, in all honesty, because everyone has their own vision,” said association president Lou Cicirello. “It took awhile to get everyone on the same page about what we really wanted. As far as the building renovation, the biggest hurdle has been getting the all-new plumbing done, as we’ve had to rip out and build a whole new bathroom facility. But we’re getting there.”
Much progress has been made, and Cicirello said the group now is targeting a late spring opening. He credited the success of the project to the infectious enthusiasm that spread as the prospect of a new home theater grew closer.
“Ever since that seed was planted, we’ve been pushing ourselves,” he said. “I was hooked by the idea of getting the theater going. We’d really like to get it started this spring; there should be a date on the Web site very soon.”
The first show likely will be a fundraiser to bring in needed cash for the theatre association. Cicirello suggested a possible “bring your own chair” event as an option that would raise money for more dedicated dinner theater seating. The organization will continue to perform a mix of theater classics and original productions written by contributors such as past president Jack Deremiah, a man whose influence Cicirello also credited with the theater association’s progress.
“The senior members were the ones who kept us alive and got the ball rolling on these exciting developments we’re working on today,” he said. “Jack Deremiah was one of the people who had the gumption to get things under way and take some big risks that are paying off today.”
The ultimate goal is bigger and better dinner theater productions, community outreach and a chance to get more involved in every facet of daily life in Monticello.
“The main goal will always be entertainment value, giving people something to do so they don’t have to get on a bus and go somewhere else to see a show,” Cicirello said. “We also want to get into the schools to teach classes and get the spirit of theater, acting and comedy into the classroom.”
All these hopes stem from the completion of the new theater, a new beacon of hope for the 36-year-old organization.
“I think it will do wonders for the group and help us grow,” Cicirello said. “That, in turn, will let us give back even more to the community. The completion of the theater will mean a lot to the people who made it happen, but it will mean even more to the community.”
jvorel@herald-review.com|421-7973
