Volunteers Needed to Ready Theatre for Performances

With the recent work on the interior of the Tibbits Opera House and the accompanying dirt and plaster dust it created, Tibbits has scheduled a volunteer work day on Friday, January 23 to both clean the theatre and decorate for the Parrots of the Caribbean concert the following day.

The volunteer workday will begin at 1 pm and continue until completed. It will include light cleaning of the seats, dusting, polishing the wood, and vacuuming. The decorating will include hanging posters and decorations to transform the theatre into a Caribbean-themed party place.

Taking advantage of a rare break in the performance schedule, Tibbits has undergone repairs, mainly to the ceiling and dome. Massive scaffolding to reach the 40-foot high ceiling was installed. Plaster in the ceiling was repaired, as was the metal grate in the dome. As long as the scaffolding was in place, Evergreene Architectural Arts recreated a paint sample of what the theatre would have looked like in 1882.

While all of the seats were covered with plastic to minimize the dirt, the dust raised is difficult to control. With the limited time available in the theatre’s schedule and the length of time required to complete the work, there is only a small window of time to prepare the building for reopening.

According to Pam Kasprzyk, Volunteer Coordinator for Tibbits, “We’re going with the motto, many hands make light work and we’ll do what we can to make sure everyone has fun.” The volunteers who help out will be treated to pizza and beverages and according to Kasprzyk, “They’ll be among the first to see the decorative paint sample.”

Volunteers are asked to call ahead to assure there are enough cleaning supplies and refreshments. They can do so by calling Tibbits at 517-278-6029 or send an email to volunteer@Tibbits.org. The clean up readies the theatre before an intensive schedule of 10 straight weeks of performances.