Friday, January 29, 1999
Falmouth theater back on boards
'97 flood nearly finished Kincaid troupe
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FALMOUTH — After losing almost everything — to the 1997 flood, and to some debilitating financial problems — the Kincaid Regional Theatre is on the mend.
Gina Kleesattel, 42, the new artistic director, said the theater is looking in a new direction.
“There is some massive reorganization going on,” she said. “In some ways we are referring to it as the New Kincaid Regional Theatre. It's almost like starting a new company.”
It will be two years at the end of March since the flood essentially destroyed all of Falmouth, including all of the theater's costumes and equipment.
“As the town began to dry out and we began to process the losses, it was devastating,” said Leva Kidd, 56, a member of the theater's board of directors. “When you lose that part of a community, it's tough to rebuild.”
Bob Bathalter, 54, who is chairman of the theater's board of directors, said 1997 was supposed to be a year of celebration.
“It was our 15th year,” he said. “But the flood destroyed everything. And in 1998 we came back and the season was kind of a dud. Everyone was dispirited.
“At that time we were in the red and there was talk of closing the whole thing down.”
But the theater got some help financially from Dennis Griffin of Griffin Industries.
“They donated some and helped raise money from some of his corporate friends,” Mr. Bathalter said.
Bob Myers, 44, the first director of the theater and who will star with his family this summer in the play State Fair, said it warmed his heart to see so many people rally behind a cause that means so much to him.
“We sat down as a community and said, "We just can't lose one more thing,'” he said.
The revitalization effort has changed the direction the theater is going. It will now focus much more on local talent.
“I'm all about local talent,” Ms. Kleesattel said. “And the great thing about this area is that there is great talent here. Just because it's a small, rural community and we're using local talent doesn't mean the quality of the shows will lessen.”
The theater will also offer summer educational programs for students in third to sixth grades at the Griffin Centre.
“I think their goal of becoming an arts education community is important,” Ms. Kleesattel said. “It's also important to me. We are hoping that by starting this small and proving that there is a need and desire in the community, that people will respond.”
This summer, there will be a vocal workshop in June and a dance workshop in July. Organizers will try to combine the workshops and put on a production next summer.
“In good times and in rough times theater can be what brings people together,” Mrs. Kidd said.
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