CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Swift Creek Mill Theatre, a 60-year mainstay in Central Virginia, is temporarily shutting its doors on May 9 as the board of directors pauses operations to restructure and seek new funding.
Ticket sales have dropped about 25 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic, making the current business model unsustainable.
"We need to take some time to do a deep restructuring and look at all our strategic planning for the theatre because we're not working in a sustainable way right now," Steve Koehler said.
The professional theater pays everyone involved in its productions.
"We pay them, what we feel, is a pretty decent rate for the region. I believe we pay fairly well," Koehler said.
The temporary closure is a heavy blow to the staff and performers.
"I was devastated. I don't want to cry," Tara Callahan Carroll said.
"It's going to be a horrible, horrible loss. It's like losing family knowing that it's closing," Sandy Lambert said.
The theater has operated for 60 years out of a 360-year-old building on Swift Creek, which separates southern Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights. It has survived multiple floods and the pandemic shutdown. Historically, the venue has averaged more than 11,000 adults and 13,000 children each year.
"I used to teach first grade and I used to bring my kids here for the Christmas show and spring show," Pam Speller said.
The board is using this three-month pause to search for new funding methods and adjust how the business is run.
"We don't know what the result of this three-month pause will be. I don't want to give false hope but I do believe there is a lot of hope in that we will be able to restructure," Koehler said.
"I hope we open up again and they can work through the things that need to be worked through and get everything back on track and maybe there will be a 2027 season," Lambert said.
If you'd like to donate to help Swift Creek Mill Theatre, click here.
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