Technical students help reshape theatre

By Penni Schaefer

12/20/08 — Budding young talent at the Academy Theatre in Meadville is nothing new. But one would be hard-pressed to find a singer, dancer or actor among Jeff Fobes’ skilled group of students from the Crawford County Career and Technical Center who are helping to renovate a portion of the 123-year-old building.

The dozen or so second-year carpentry students aren’t honing their fine arts skills, but swinging hammers, scaling scaffolding and hanging drywall all in the name of charity — and a good grade. But just because they’re not making big bucks doesn’t mean that this group of seniors aren’t working their hearts out.

Seniors Josh Smock of Cochranton High School and Joe Luciano of Maplewood High School are just two of 12 carpentry students who have been ripping out old flooring, wiring and plumbing from a vacant portion of the theater complex that used to house a variety of businesses that ranged from a clothing store to a popular tavern to a cigar bar. The real-world experience hasn’t just given them a reason to be proud of their labor, it’s made them feel closer to the community.

“I can drive by and say, “Hey! I helped build that!” said Luciano. “But the best thing is that it’s great to know that it’s not going to get torn down any time soon and that it’s going to actually be appreciated by someone.”

While taking a break from cutting plywood for a new subfloor, Luciano said prior to beginning the project, he had never heard about the building or its rich local history.

Established in 1885, the Academy has housed local productions, touring vaudeville shows and for many years served as a movie theater. A group of citizens worked to resurrect the building and restore it to its early 19th century splendor after a fire in the mid-1980s. Since then, it has been the venue for a wide array of artistic and cultural events.

“I never knew anything about the Academy Theatre, but now, since taking part in this project, it’s made me interested in learning a little bit more about it,” Luciano said.

Smock, who has been installing drywall on the two-story-high walls of the adjacent building, said he enjoys working on projects outside of the classroom.

“This is really an awesome project,” he said. “I love it when we can move out of the classroom and work on building something that we don’t have to end up tearing down later.”

Kelly McMahon, managing director of the Academy Theatre, was thrilled the students could help out the organization. She credited Larry Guerrieri, a board member, with coming up with the idea to ask CCCTC for help. And while the work has just begun, McMahon said she is pleased thus far.

“From the first day they made such a difference in the space. It is looking great!” she said.

Even better is the bottom line. McMahon estimated that the cost of materials for sprucing up the vacated space would be about $3,000. But the benefits of introducing more young people to the Academy Theatre and providing them with an opportunity to give back to their community are priceless.

“I believe that community involvement can go further than giving students a sense of philanthropy and civic duty,” McMahon said. “Learning what’s out there can help them start to think laterally about how they can use their skills and interests, and they can discover new careers (such as building set designs) they might not have realized were open to them.”

McMahon hopes that when the students are finished with the renovations, the space can be put back on the market for rent again. With the basic floors and walls spruced up, the future lessee would then just have to finish the remodeling job based on their appropriate business needs.

Neil Donovan, director of CCCTC, said Fobes, who has more than 25 years of experience in the carpentry field, has been very successful in aligning the carpentry students’ curriculum with worthwhile volunteer ventures.

“People have heard about the quality work that our students do,” Donovan said. “Really it’s a win-win situation; our students get valuable work experience and exposure to the community’s culture, and organizations — in this case the theater — get free labor.”

Building relationships and strengthening ties within the Crawford County area through education is “how communities should function,” Donovan said.

For more information:

The Academy Theatre has a very active volunteer program. In addition to running theatrical equipment, people can also offer their time doing various clerical duties such as helping with mailings twice a year. For more information, contact Managing Director Kelly McMahon at 337-8211 or visit the Web site: www.meadvilleacademytheatre.com.