Weathervane Playhouse
In 1969, the Weathervane’s first performance took place inside a barn in Heath, Ohio. Over the years the theater moved to a tent and an open-air pavilion before it found a permanent location on Price Road in Newark, Ohio.[1]
The Weathervane has had its fair share of misfortunes including a fire on Thanksgiving of 1987 when arsonists burned the building to the ground. With support from the community, a new playhouse was built, and in 1989 the Mary A. Alford Weathervane Theater was opened to the public.[2] Tragedy struck again in 1994 when the Dollar General, where Weathervane had been storing costumes, was destroyed in a fire along with three other downtown businesses. The collection included over 5,000 pieces, many of them irreplaceable.[3] The theater put out a call for costume donations, and again the community responded generously, allowing the Weathervane to recover enough to open for their 26th season.[4][5]
In 1997, a large donation from Weathervane supporter, Larry Anderson, allowed for the construction of the Larry W. and Dawn Holt Anderson Children’s Theater. The space was completed in 1999 and houses programs specifically for children along with providing additional space for the adult performers.[6]
C.P.
References
- ↑ “Weathervane Playhouse History.” Weathervane Playhouse Website: http://weathervaneplayhouse.org/weathervane-playhouse-history/ , February 15, 2017.
- ↑ “Mary A. Alford Theatre is New Weathervane Playhouse”, Granville Booster, April 3, 1989.
- ↑ “Weathervane loses costume collection”, The Advocate, March 21, 1994.
- ↑ “Weathervane Playhouse History.” Weathervane Playhouse Website: http://weathervaneplayhouse.org/weathervane-playhouse-history/ , February 15, 2017.
- ↑ “Weathervane Scrambles for Premiere”, The Advocate, June 11, 1994.
- ↑ “Curtain rises on plans for Weathervane’s children’s theater”, The Advocate, July 21, 1997.
