Thursday February 16, 2012 Brattleboro Reformer
By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN / Reformer Staff
BRATTLEBORO—Ever since purchasing the Latchis Theater in 2003, there has been something hanging over the heads of the volunteers who work for the Brattleboro Arts Initiative, now Latchis Arts: The theater’s decaying ceiling.
The theater’s seats have long been a sore spot as well, especially when a patron’s buttocks are in them. So now, nine years after saving the theater and establishing it as the premier site for film and live music in southeastern Vermont, Latchis Arts is ready to take care of that ceiling and those seats. Today, from 5 to 6 p.m., members of Latchis Arts, and of the organization’s seats and ceiling campaign committee, will be in the main theater to talk about the project.
Latchis Arts needs to raise about $550,000 to replace the seats and refurbish the well-known ceiling, which features the signs of the Zodiac, but has been marred with stains for years. The campaign to raise the money for the project was supposed to kick off this summer, but flood damage from Tropical Storm Irene closed the theater for about a month, and delayed the capital campaign while the group dried out. The seats are original equipment from when the theater first opened in 1938. The theater and seats committee says the renovations will honor the historic elements of the theater, and the decorative aisle markers will be sent out for refurbishment. Tonight’s information session is also a chance for fans of the Latchis to weigh in on the ongoing project and offer suggestions as the plan moves forward. Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 279.