The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Hoping the Shows Go on at the Sebago Schoolhouse

April 03, 2011 - Standish – Just as the economic downturn hasn’t been kind to local businesses, nonprofits or residents, neither has it done any favors for community cultural centers such as the Schoolhouse Arts Center in Standish.


Located at the corner of routes 114 and 35 in Sebago Lake Village in the former Standish High School, Schoolhouse has been a cultural draw since 1988 for theater, dance and music productions, as well as classes for those wanting to perfect those skills. However, the center is struggling to make ends meet, and this year is ramping up its offerings in an attempt to stay in business.


According to Schoolhouse’s education director Terri Plummer and co-president Heidi Libby, the Schoolhouse is trying a new tact to draw interest. They’re purposefully loading the schedule, which starts with “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” this weekend, to generate more interest and more revenue.


In fact, compared to recent years when the Schoolhouse put on four main productions, this year, there will be closer to a dozen productions featuring three children’s musicals and a half-dozen major performances, as well as several fundraising performances at which well-known performers will take the stage to benefit Schoolhouse.


The effort is needed to keep up with fixed expenses, which Plummer, who is also Schoohouse’s treasurer, said tally $40,000 for overhead alone, not to mention the royalties and licensing arrangements the center pays to perform more well-known plays and musicals. Heating for the massive building alone costs about $10,000 annually.


“In the past we would do four main stage shows in the year,” said Plummer. “But since we need $40,000 just to keep the building operating, you can’t do that with four shows. So we, as a board, decided we needed to start doing more stuff.”


Patrons wanted


To meet their financial needs, the Schoolhouse needs to fill the seats. Libby and Plummer say there is a core of patrons who attend nearly every show, but not enough to fully support the group. Increasing the number of shows, they say, will help generate the needed ticket sales.


“We love our loyal patrons, but we want more people to know about us,” Libby said. “We just want everyone to know we’re here, putting on great shows.”


In addition to performances, the Schoolhouse offers music, acting and improvisation classes for just about all ages. However, getting the word out can cost a lot and oftentimes classes are canceled due to lack of interest.


“It’s spending money to make money,” Plummer said. “For the education program, we need to have five kids per class in order to pay the teacher and cover the other overhead, including advertising, flyers, supplies. We didn’t (break even) this winter. We had to cancel a couple classes since there was not enough interest.”


The reason for the lack of interest? The economy and gasoline prices don’t help, but neither does the cost of advertising.


“It’s expensive to get the word out,” Plummer said. “Part of it is I can’t afford to put ads in the paper. But it’s a balancing act. Can I afford to put this ad in and, if I do, will it bring in enough business?”


Also, Plummer said while some school systems, such as Gorham, and School Administrative Districts 61 (Lake Region) and 55 (Sacopee Valley), allow the Schoolhouse to print fliers to hand out to students, some schools don’t allow outside organizations to solicit students via take-home literature.


“Gorham, SAD 55 and Lake Region will send my fliers home with kids. Unfortunately, SAD 6 (Bonny Eagle) has a policy that they will not send anything home unless it comes from the recreation department,” Plummer said. “The other problem is that when Windham and Raymond merged they made the decision that they wouldn’t send anything home with the kids if you weren’t from the district. And we, being just this side of Windham, we’re not in their district. The majority of our students come from Gorham and I really truly believe it’s because they get the fliers. I wish we could, but we can’t afford to mail a flier to everyone in the SAD 6 district and I’m sure there are lots of kids who would love to come but don’t know about us.”


Volunteers needed


In addition to trying to attract more patrons and students in order to raise revenue, Plummer said, the Schoolhouse would benefit from having more volunteers. While the interior has been upgraded in appearance, the building’s sprawling clapboard exterior, Plummer and Libby admit, is “scary.” That may help sell the three-week Haunted House series in October, but it may also affect people’s impressions of what happens inside. In fact, Plummer said, a friend recently noted that the building is “like an albatross hanging around our neck.”


Despite appearances, Plummer said, whatever money the Schoolhouse generates goes into the building’s interior and productions, so what you see on the outside doesn’t reflect the quality on the inside, she said.


“The building is our biggest drain, our biggest issue, and we struggle with that,” Plummer said. “We don’t have the volunteer base that we need to keep this building up. We need people who know how to care for this building to jump on board and help us out. Right now, we don’t have the manpower or money to fix it.

And because it’s an old building, it continues to cost us money. We have to keep throwing money at it just to stay open. So in terms of making it look nice, that’s not on our priority list.”


Despite its physical issues, the Schoolhouse board of directors loves the building and wants to stay there. The location in a busy travel area is ideal, and the 12,500 square feet offer many large rooms for simultaneous programming. Last weekend, for example, two or three auditions were taking place at once both Saturday and Sunday, something that couldn’t happen in a smaller building, Plummer said.


“What we’re doing this year is our effort to keep the building, because we’re hoping we can turn this thing around, really make things happen here, really make it a place where people feel comfortable,” Plummer said. “Our problem is two-fold. It’s not just financial. We also need volunteers. So we not only want to bring in more money, we need to bring in more people to keep this place going.”
Specifically, Plummer has a list that only skilled people such as contractors, roofers, electricians, painters, landscapers and plumbers can complete.


“Our roof is leaking, we have a sink in the arts room that doesn’t work. The list goes on and on. There are so many needs it’s not funny,” she said.


Libby, as publicity chairwoman, would also like help with marketing the Schoolhouse.


“We need business people to help us raise more money. We need marketing, advertising, public relations people to make sure we’re getting out there,” she said.


While they want to stay in operation, their reasons are altruistic. The arts, they say, help kids find a niche and offer adults an alternative to the standard dinner and a movie or a night of watching TV.


“We want to get the information out there to the public that we’re here and we’re here to stay,” Libby said. “And you’d be surprised, after we’ve told somebody that they should come see a show and they come, they’ll say, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever been here and I’ve lived in Standish my whole life.’ Every single show we have people who say that.”


Keith Halliburton, who has directed Schoolhouse productions for more than a decade and is directing the upcoming “Laugh-In” production after 12 weeks of rehearsals, says the Schoolhouse is also a positive for performers, as well.


“You get a lot of out of it. You help a lot of people; they can realize some dreams. Some are fledging actors, some take it very seriously,” he said. “I cast full families in shows, and you don’t get that many opportunities to work with your entire family. So it also gives a lot of opportunities to people who wouldn’t necessarily get them. A lot of our performers come from great distances, so it’s amazing people will travel as far as they will to be part of a good group.

John Balentine, Lake Region Weekly, April 2011


Lakes:
Regions: Sebago


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News