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Strand Theatre in Moundsville Ready To Raise Curtain on Upgrades

photo by: Emma Delk

Strand Theatre Preservation Society Treasurer Joan Palmer checks out the new curtain in the theater, one of numerous upgrades to the historic Moundsville venue.

MOUNDSVILLE — The Strand Theatre Preservation Society has been working in the wings of the historic Moundsville venue to complete almost $175,000 in safety upgrades since April 2023.

Every upgrade on the group’s to-do list was funded through grants from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, with the preservation society matching each contribution from the state through community support.

The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst that allowed upgrade work to kick into full gear. Since the facility is run by volunteers, Joan Palmer, preservation society treasurer, said the theater going dark during the pandemic allowed the ball to get rolling for numerous improvements.

The renovations began backstage, where a new green room, dressing rooms and bathrooms were added for performers. A new sound and lighting system has also been installed.

After these improvements were made, Palmer said the preservation society began focusing solely on safety upgrades with help from Patrick Wallace of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History.

“Patrick completely went through the theater, and we discussed our vision and what he thought we should consider for upgrades,” Palmer said. “We want to stay very non-worried about any possible safety problems. We’re always keeping safety at the forefront to ensure that everything is where it needs to be if we need to address any safety issues.”

The safety upgrades kicked off in April 2023 with the insulation of a new fire system.

The upgrades continued three months later with the $62,000 upgrade of the theater’s overhead stage rigging from the original hemp system to dead-hanging all battens at current industry standards. Another notable facility improvement that cost $11,000 was the installation of lobby subflooring to address weak areas and a new lobby carpet in May 2024.

Palmer added that preservation has been at the forefront throughout the renovations. The theater opened in 1920, and Palmer noted the importance of preserving its original elements.

“I’ve visited a lot of theaters when I travel, and many have been renovated, but that renovation has been completely gutting the building and starting over,” Palmer noted. “That’s not what happened here, and I’m so happy we have so much of what was original to the theater today. We’ve saved everything that we possibly could.”

The next item on the agenda is replacing the stage border curtains, traveler curtains and cyclorama with flame-resistant materials that will be hung from the theatrical track. The preservation society has received grants and raised the matching money for the $90,000 project.

Palmer said Pittsburgh Stage should finish the replacement project within the next two weeks. After that, the list of upgrades will have one item left: the replacement of the theater’s original fire curtain.

The preservation society received a $9,920 bid for asbestos abatement for the original fire curtain and has covered the cost using a fast-track grant from the state and funding from local charitable foundations.

Bids on the cost of the replacement curtain have ranged from $160,000 to $250,000. The preservation society plans to seek a $80,000 matching grant from the state Department of Arts, Culture, and History to fund part of the cost of a replacement curtain. The group has raised $50,000 of its portion to match the state funding.

Palmer said that in addition to state funding for the numerous upgrades at the theater, the Marshall County Commission and community supporters have been the main funders of the upgrades.

“Our grants from the state provide 50% of our funding, so we have to raise the other 50%, and that comes from theater patrons, donors, area foundations and the county commission,” Palmer said. “It’s a hodgepodge of different organizations and entities that kick in.”

In addition to monetary support, Palmer noted that many volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to help complete various improvement projects.

“It makes me very proud of our community and all the people that have pitched in because we’ve had so many volunteers,” Palmer said. “Anybody I knew from high school that has a skill we could use at the theater, I’ve asked to chip in, so I’ve had former classmates help lay tiles or install drywall. Since it’s a totally volunteer-run organization and theater, we’ve stretched every dollar, which includes free labor.”

Palmer added that many local businesses have chipped in to help with the upgrades, including Reilley’s Carpet, which provided tile for the dressing rooms and carpet runners for the theater. Local law offices have also provided furniture for the green rooms.

“It’s all just the community coming together to support the theater and support the arts,” Palmer said.

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