After 24 years of patiently waiting, the Tellico Community Players met Thursday afternoon with dignitaries from Monroe and Loudon counties to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new theater being built at Lakeside Plaza, where the Public Library at Tellico Village was once located.
Len Willis, TCP president, said more than half of the funds have been raised, but the organization still has a long way to go.
“We feel comfortable, and our fundraising is ongoing,” Willis said. “We have live events coming up in the next three months that we’re going to keep trying, and because of our operating expenses, we’ll be fundraising forever. We’ll have one or two events every year that is strictly dedicated to fundraising because of the need for the money.”
Members of the organization are excited, mostly because once the theater opens the Players can run practices and productions whenever they like.
The theater will have 150 seats on risers to allow for “unobstructed views,” Willis said. In the past, many productions were performed on flat surfaces. Willis said anyone near the back row could only see on stage from the waist up, which ruins some scenes.
Not only were the stage areas flat, but the locations tended to be distanced from locals. With the theater being located in Loudon County, Willis said the Players expect larger attendance.
Willis said the stage will be one of a kind in Loudon and Monroe counties, and available for use for events as long as they do not interfere with the Players’ schedule.
“We are the Tellico Community Players,” Willis said. “We purposefully, what five or six years ago, changed our name from the Tellico Players to the Tellico Community Players because we want Monroe County and Loudon County residents, all of them, to come and play, and even Roane County, which is not that far away, could join us.”
Willis said he and members of the organization hope residents from Loudon and Monroe counties, Rarity Bay and the Monroe Area Council of the Arts will benefit from the theater and participate with the Players.
The theater is projected to be completed by mid-September and is expected to cost $90,000-$95,000. The club has currently raised $50,000-$55,000 from fundraising efforts. Willis said whether a loan will be taken out depends on fundraising efforts in the coming months.
To donate, email Steve Mayberry, TCP treasurer, at stevemayberry@charter.net or call 865-310-6068.
“To have our own place to rehearse and actually schedule the way we’d like to schedule because we’ve always been dependent on other venues and when they could fit us in, this is good,” Carol Lessnau, Players member, said.
