They have many challenges ahead of them but the board of directors of the Souris Valley Theatre are vowing that the floods of 2011 will not prevent them from returning in 2012.
Theatre chairwoman Heather Vermeersch and board member Tim Jenish went before Estevan city council Monday night to present their budget for the upcoming season. The theatre is requesting a grant of $100,000 for 2012, up from their usual grant of $80,000.
Vermeersch said the extra money would be used to help the theatre recover from the devastating floods of 2011 that wiped out their entire season and caused significant damage to many of their facilities.
She added they are hoping to return in 2012 but admitted they have much work ahead of them before that can be accomplished.
"Our hope is to get the theatre back to working order to replace the things that need to be replaced so we can start again and hold some sort of a kickoff in the latter part of the summer so we can get back to using it and see it in the community as something valuable and back to what it was," said Vermeersch.
"We lost our dressing room building so that will need to be rebuilt. The canteen and the bathroom areas all have to be totally gutted. Our one housing unit is still available and OK. Our other two housing trailers that we had just established and set out there are destroyed and will have to be replaced.
"We had just got to a place where we had a little community out there and we were having our actors and actresses live out there and create a space for the summer. Unfortunately we lost that and we'll have to start to rebuild again."
Vermeersch said the theatre board recently met with adjusters from the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program and are waiting to learn how much of the damage will be covered. They are also wrapping their heads around how much it will cost to repair the damage to Frehlick Hall. Vermeersch said all of the seats were destroyed and they suffered damage to the backstage area and their sound equipment and lighting.
"I would not want to venture a guess on what we are looking at, but it is going to be a significant amount of money," she said.
Vermeeersch added the theatre will soon begin looking for a new manager for 2012 who will aid them in making a return this summer, a goal they are determined to see happen.
"We think that this theatre has done great things for the city and continues to have the opportunity and potential to bring people back into the city and it is a great way to promote the arts, so we are very optimistic."
