By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati stands ready to move its main stage season to Covington's Odd Fellows Hall as early as the 2004-05 season if Covington can meet Ensemble's $3 million price tag.

That cost estimate includes $1 million to fit the building, now under renovation at Fifth and Madison, for theatrical use; a $1 million endowment to support four years of rental costs; and $1 million in "soft" costs, including marketing.

"It's still up in the air," said Mary Mahler, who will become ETC board president in January, and who, with husband Ken, has been the theater's angel throughout its life.

"But it would be wonderful. There are so many pros" for the move, she said, including safety, parking, an enthusiastic city government and an on-site restaurant.

Covington Mayor Irvin "Butch" Callery sees a resident Ensemble Theatre as "a cornerstone" as the city works to bring development south from the riverfront.

Ensemble, founded in 1986, has been at its 12th and Vine home in Over-the-Rhine since 1988. The theater was at the center of the civil unrest in April 2001 and has struggled with neighborhood crime issues. It also will face parking problems this spring when the lot it uses (across Vine Street from the theater) will be under construction for a new Kroger parking garage.

Early this month, the City of Covington began distributing a multipage brochure on the advantages of the project. Ensemble provided a letter that said, in part, that "ETC is interested in developing itself as a major landmark on the Covington downtown landscape."

Covington's Downtown Renaissance Manager Kathie Hickey said that response to date has given the city "enough incentive to move forward." She estimates that the city and theater will know if the campaign has succeeded by the end of January.

Callery believes a deal can be made with as little as $1.5 million in commitments. At that point, the project would embark on a public campaign.

Tony Milburn, an owner of Odd Fellows Hall, agrees with Mahler that ETC's move, which has been under discussion for a year, is no sure thing. He estimates that it would take six months to ready the building to open as a theater, requiring that work be started by February, which fits Hickey's timeframe. Milburn says that restoration will be completed by June.

Callery is confident enough to be thinking about the theater's logo. He sees a box surrounding the "ETC," big enough to spell out both "Covington" and "Cincinnati."

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com