“It’s an important part of our city.”
Those words came from Karen Rohrer, Executive Director of Treehouse Theater, which is in the process of renovating a building at 910 Washington Street in Manitowoc.
The youth theatre group offers opportunities for young people ranging in age from 4-18, from here in the lakeshore area to Sheboygan, Green Bay, Brillion, and Denmark.
During an interview with SeehaferNews.com, Rohrer admitted they looked at a lot of different buildings for their new studio home.
“We didn’t really expect to like it,” she admitted. “But the more we walked around and saw how solid it is” they realized it could be “revitalized to the point where it would be a huge renovation project for downtown Manitowoc.”
The building, with 11,000 feet on two levels plus a basement, was a Kroger grocery store initially, then a hardware store, a furniture store, and an antique mall.
Rohrer explained that the lack of support beams makes it perfect for them because it was a “blank canvas” that she could design how she saw fit.
We asked Karen “why the move from the rear of the Kresge Building?”
Her response was rather simple. “It was time,” she said. “We were in need of more space.”
Thanks to a generous grant from the West Foundation, the approximately $700,000 project started with the majority of the labor provided by local volunteers.
Karen Rohrer said they are hoping to be ready to go by March, but “It will get done when it gets done.”
The Theater finished their production of “Frozen” early last month when they drew over 1,500 people to 5 shows at the UW-Manitowoc Theatre.
Their next show “Once on This Island”, a Caribbean-themed production, starts with cast auditions on January 30th.
For more information email info@treehousetheater.com
Treehouse Theater is a non-profit 501c3 organization with a mission to enrich the lives of children and their families by providing quality theater education and performance opportunities. They will be celebrating their 8 year anniversary in March.
