Volunteers have transformed the look of the Nancy Byng Community Theater from a quaint country church to a contemporary theater venue.
Repainting the former church building was a momentous task, requiring a group of hardworking volunteers, 30 gallons of paint, a boom lift, and favorable weather. All of these elements came together in late June. As a result, the white building at 5852 Maple St., Abrams, turned a stunning midnight blue.
To help cover the costs of the repainting project, Abrams Spotlight Productions Inc. launched a Paint and Perform fundraising campaign. ASPI hopes to raise $10,000, and a generous donor will match the first $1,000 that ASPI receives. Donors can give a financial gift by clicking the support tab of the ASPI website, www.abramstheater.com.
“Ticket sales alone don’t cover the costs of operating a theater,” said Bill Koehne, ASPI board president. “That’s why we’re so thankful to people and businesses that support the arts and enable us to bring great performances to the stage.”
The Nancy Byng Community Theater has been home to ASPI since 2007. The former St. Louis Catholic Church was built in 1927 and has been fully renovated into a community theater venue. Because the white exterior siding was showing its age, the nonprofit theater organization decided to repaint the building’s aluminum siding and replace the vinyl siding on the steeple.
“The new paint not only makes the theater look good and establishes our brand, it also lets people know this is a long-term asset to the community. It’s not just somebody’s short-term hobby,” Koehne said.
The church had been white with blue trim, but now those colors are reversed for a contemporary, nonchurch-like look. Volunteer David Jolly coordinated and supervised the painting project over multiple weeks.
“A project of this magnitude requires a lot of time and hard work, and we’re grateful for the volunteers who spent long days working in the heat to get the theater repainted,” Jolly said. “The theater looks great, and we’re excited to welcome people to this beautiful place to experience live theater.”
Adam Surber, an ASPI parent volunteer, provided the painting equipment and 14 hours of labor to paint the building. Sherman Williams generously discounted the paint to about half-price. DLE Concrete and Remodeling resided the steeple area with midnight blue siding to match the rest of the exterior. The next theater improvement projects will involve landscaping, gutters, and foundation work.
Nancy Byng Theater gets fresh coat of paint
