The Galion Community Theatre continues to move forward to provide a resource for performing arts in the community.
The building opened in 1949 as a state-of-the-art 1,200 seat movie theatre and operated as a movie house until the early 1970s.
It was then used as a restaurant and a nightclub until 1983, before being purchased by its current owners in 1993.
“We show comedies, dramas and musicals,” Galion Theatre Director Tim Groth said. “Our last show, ‘Into the Woods,’ had about 620 people over the two weekends.”
Through the patronage, charitable donations, and volunteer support, theatre is able to continue its mission to promote the arts, officials said. The theatre has gathered numerous costumes and props, and have successfully produced dozens of shows over the past thirty years.
“We have a little over 200 members, people can buy memberships to get tickets,” Groth said. “The theatre receives a lot of support through the community through local businesses and individuals. We have people at every show who sponsor it.”
As the theatre continues to grow, so do the needs. The board has continued to update the antiquated aspects within the building (most recently, the plumbing), raised the bar with each production, their demands for more intricate lighting, better sound quality and detailed sets also has increased.
“There is always something needing renovating,” Groth said. “The air conditioning can’t get to the lower areas where the actors do their make up dressing and where the Green Room is where they wait to go on stage. This needs updated to make it a little more comfortable for them.”
The Galion Community Theatre is governed by a volunteer 18-member Board of Trustees — which oversees, maintains, and repairs the theatre, raises funding and produces an annual season of three theatrical productions, a Children’s Workshop production, and as funding is acquired, concerts featuring professional artists.
The board welcomes volunteers who are interested in donating their time and skills by visiting www.galiontheatre.com Call 419-468-2662 or email [email protected].
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Evans can be reached at 419-468-1117 ext. 2049.
