Chamber Introduces New Theatrikos Director

CHAMBER INTRODUCES NEW THEATRIKOS DIRECTOR

Theatrikos: Good Theatre is Good BusinessBy: Tom Marcinko

Despite 4,000 gallons of sewage flooding the basement, the show must go on.

Too often the nonprofit arts are considered a luxury. However, Chris Verrill, the recently arrived executive director of Flagstaff's Theatrikos Theatre Company, points out that the arts, including the theatre, are a key driver of the economy that keeps the community going. He cites a 2017 nationwide study by Americans for the Arts, with local data provided by the Flagstaff Arts Council. According to that report, the arts and sciences bring more than $20 million annually into the local economy.

Verrill, who spent the last dozen years as the executive director of the English theatre in China, adds, “We know that many tourists come to Flagstaff just to see an art or science event, that they spend money in local restaurants, lodging, and other attractions, and that they tend to stay in Flagstaff longer. Theatrikos contributes to that prosperity, along with and in synergy with other local theatre organizations like the Flagstaff Musical Theatre and Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, to name just two.”

That sense of community is much-needed when the unexpected strikes. Verrill speaks warmly of the outpouring of support Theatrikos recently received in the aftermath of a basement sewage flood that damaged several decades' worth of props and costumes, not to mention the dressing rooms and the workshop used for set design and construction. The flood was caused by a blockage of a city sewer line that runs under the theatre. “To be honest, it was gross,” he said. The flooding forced the cancellation of performances of Wait Until Dark and forced a TheatriKids education theatre production to move to another venue.

The theatre has since been cleaned and sanitized. But the basement has been gutted and will take a year to rebuild. “It’s nearly an empty shell, with all props and costumes and other things either destroyed or in storage with the cleaning company,” Verrill says.

“We are still cautiously optimistic that insurance and the city will bring us back to where we were,” he adds. “But we hope to come back even better than before. To turn lemons into lemonade.” Making the best of a problem nobody could have foreseen should mean a new lease on life for the almost 100-year-old building. “Depending on how our fundraising is going, and other factors, we should be able to create a good thing out of this stinky mess.”

Theatrikos plans to rebuild and repurpose the underground space to include a classroom for theatre students and studio theatre for small performances and rehearsals and performances. Verrill adds, “We're recruiting skilled construction professionals to help us develop a plan and undertake this project. We're exploring offsite storage for our costumes and props and set pieces.”

Theatrikos is using Facebook, GoFundMe, and donations to raise the $75,000 needed to take itself to a new level. “Ultimately, we will be able to provide improved service to the community, and to continue playing our part in the economy of Flagstaff at an even higher level.”

Theatrikos, established in 1972, has been a crucial part of the economic engine for almost 50 years. And despite recent stinky obstacles, it is planning to be an everincreasing part of that economic engine for another 50 years.