Springville Playhouse theater looking for new home

SPRINGVILLE — In about 18 months, the Springville Playhouse will lose its longtime home in the basement of the city library.

That's when city officials expect to open a new city library and tear down the building that has served as Springville's City Hall, library and theater for more than 40 years.

The City Council in 1964 said the theater could have the space "in perpetuity."

"I guess that's when perpetuity ends," said Daryl Tucker, president of the nonprofit, all-volunteer playhouse.

The space is expected to become a grassy area after the city builds the new library. Plans for the 40,000-square-foot library didn't include space for a new Springville Playhouse, which isn't a city department. However, it will have 30,000 square feet on the first floor for the library, 5,000 square feet on the second floor for offices and administration, and the rest for expansion, said library director Pam Vaughn. Construction is slated to begin in the spring.

The Springville Playhouse has been putting on community performances since 1947.

One possibility for its new home is the Villa Theater, a run-down movie house on Main Street, now owned by the city. But no decisions have been made about what to do with that building. Discussions won't begin until later this year when the City Council has time to review the budget, said Troy Fitzgerald, city administrator.

Renovating the old movie house could cost up to $500,000, the funding of which is unlikely at a time when residents are putting pressure on the city to provide a new recreation center, Tucker said.

With new mayor Wilford W. Clyde just taking office, Tucker is taking a wait-and-see stance. If the city charges for the use of that theater, the quality of the shows could be seriously affected, he said.

Meanwhile, it's business as usual as the theater is making plans for its next production, "Scapino," a comedy based on a Moliere play. Auditions are to begin in March.

The theater puts on four major plays a year and sometimes a children's play at Christmas. Working in the basement theater has been ideal for the troupe, which has nearly continuous access to the space for rehearsals and set building, as well as to present the plays.

The Springville Playhouse generally presents a play in the spring, then in June during Art City Days, the city's annual celebration. In August, volunteers perform a children's play, and in the fall, the group puts on its final major play for the year. The play this past fall was the classic "Harvey."

General admission tickets are $8, with student and senior discounts available, but that won't raise enough money for the theater budget if user fees are added, Tucker said.

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com