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Shining Bright

The carved proscenium, top, at the Bradley. Above, the ceiling and dome, shine. More photos on page 6. Linda Lemmon photos.

 

 

 

 

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Lower right:  L-R: Board member Tony Germano, owner Tom Borner, board President Mike Gallo.

two lower left photos courtesy of Jon Loux

 

 

Ailing ceiling 

to rebirth

By Linda Lemmon

Town Crier Editor

PUTNAM ---  Stars take many forms at the Bradley Playhouse. Committed community volunteers are stars. Benefactors and building owners are stars.  Even bright and golden stars adorning the newly refurbished ceiling at the playhouse.

It began with plaster falling from the 1901 playhouse ceiling last fall. The community theater board, volunteers and many more got to work fund-raising to replace the ailing plaster ceiling. While there was a "substantial amount of money and community support," said building owner Tom Borner, "I could see that it was not enough" and he and co-owner, wife, Kathy Borner, decided to transform the whole theater. 

Tom and Kathy Borner have owned the historic playhouse for 30 years.  Borner said when they bought it, it was a movie house. 

Work began in earnest in mid-December and Jan. 24 Borner unveiled the work to the theater group. Much of the work fell under "we may as well." For example, when the staging was set up throughout the theater, workers noticed egg and dart moulding around the highest ceiling. "We may as well fix it." It was repaired and repainted gold. The whole theater was repainted, including the carved proscenium around the stage (after cleaning 50 years of dust away), the floors, the walls, the ceiling. The wall and lighting facing the restrooms were reworked. The entire front entry was transformed with paint, tray ceilings, lighting.  Borner also had new steel added to the fire escape and it was reinforced. 

In the last 22 years, Borner said, the community theater has flourished. "They've worked very hard. They're very excited about this theater," Borner said. "It was time for a rebirth. This is a new chapter for them."

Mike Gallo, president of the theater's board of directors, had not seen the work being done. When he came into the sparkling space, he kissed contractor Tommy Thurlow of Hilltop Contractors on the cheek.  Gallo said the theater received huge support from the community for the project. Donations for the original plaster ceiling project ranged from $1 to $8,000.  He said the larger project benefited by "$70,000 minimum" in donations. 

Thurlow said so many helped. He recalls Harvey Copeland, 80, dropping in to see how it was going. He told them he remembered coming to the theater when he was young, paying 7 cents to get in. While chatting, Copeland noticed that the carpenters needed help scribing a curving wall into the glass window above. Thurlow said "he just got some tools and started doing it." 

The Borners found the design for the ceiling and its dome and helped paint the stars up above. 

The theater thanked several contractors including: Turenne Masonry LLC of Putnam, Shawn Morgan Painting and Wallcovering of Dayville, Chace Building Supply of Woodstock, Coastal Drywall of Ledyard, CharMac Electric, LLC of Canterbury, Bernie Davis of Grosvenordale, B.W. Dexter, II, Inc. of Danielson, Paquette Electric of Pomfret Center, RC Construction of Dayville and Hilltop Contractors LLC of Pomfret Center and many more.

A gala to celebrate the restoration of the playhouse will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 16. There will be light fare, cocktails and entertainment to honor the extraordinary people who rescued the theater. It's $10 per person (cash bar) and tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the box office (860-928-7887).

Theater officials put it this way: "To take the sentiments from the 1927 newspaper account of the 'remodeled theatre,' we need only change the date to 2014 ... 'Superlatives are needed to describe the remodeled playhouse ... from ceiling to cellar nothing has been neglected that could give comfort and pleasure.' Thank you Tom and Kathy Borner and to all who contributed to the effort to restore the Bradley to its former glory!"

 

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