PUTNAM — A celebration of the restoration and repair of the Bradley Playhouse will take place at 2 p.m. Feb. 16 with the unveiling of the newly renovated theater. 

Tickets are available for the event by calling the theater box office at: 860-928-7887;  on line at www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or will be available at the door. The office has relocated back into the theater so tickets may be purchased during weekdays from 10:00 -6:00 PM. Please call 860-928-7887 for more information. All seats are $10.00 and seating for this event is general admission. Season tickets and flex passes may not be used for this performance.

The Bradley Playhouse Gala will feature light fare provided by local restaurants and bakeries, a cash bar courtesy of JD Cooper’s and live entertainment by a host of talented performers in honor of the extraordinary people who have helped to save Putnam’s historic Vaudeville theatre. Located at 30 Front Street, (Route 44), The Bradley has greeted theater lovers since its grand opening in January of 1901, but not since that auspicious occasion 113 years ago has the theater ever looked better.  Building owners Tom and Kathy Borner have personally overseen the renovation, making it possible for the Bradley to reopen after the ceiling failure last September.

 In early fall, as the theater anxiously awaited the delivery of the custom made wheelchair lift, little did they know that only a few days later they would embark on another chapter of their history when a portion of the ceiling’s plaster fell.  The incident prompted the investigation of the remainder of the plaster’s stability by licensed structural engineers and restoration experts who concluded that the remaining plaster needed to be removed and replaced. Tom and  Kathy Borner worked with Hilltop Contractors and the Bradley to insure that a new, safe ceiling would be constructed.

 Once again, the community rallied around the Bradley, donating funds, goods and services as well as holding fund-raisers to restore the theater’s interior and to re-enforce the aging fire escape.  The Borners took the lead in the restoration effort and local contractors and businesses worked to make the theater shine again with new glory. It is thanks to the Borners’ vision that many other projects were also undertaken with astounding results. In addition to the auditorium ceiling, the proscenium has been repainted along with the complete interior of the building. The entry lobby ceiling has been entirely redesigned and new elegant lighting installed. Thousands of dollars of repairs have been done to the fire escape which was reinforced with new steel girders, sand blasted and repainted. 

 

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