Sauk Theater’s next three productions will show in Hillsdale College’s Phillips Auditorium due to the partial collapse of the Jonesville, Michigan, building’s ceiling, which created a crack in the lighting booth’s ceiling and caused two air ducts to fall on Dec. 28.
At the end of January, an engineer’s report concluded the false plaster ceiling of the Sauk’s auditorium fell due to rusted fasteners, which hold up the ceiling. The theater plans to replace the entire ceiling in the auditorium and at least some of the audience chairs, a project that will take eight to 10 weeks of construction. Sauk Theater’s Executive Director Trinity Bird said the entire process would not finish until May.
“It was the saddest day I ever had in this building,” said Bird, who has worked with the Sauk since 1987.
When the ceiling collapsed on Dec. 28, no one was in the building.
The following day, a theater volunteer entered through the building’s back door and made footprints on the stage floor. Assuming it was sawdust from building sets at first, the worker continued, later realizing each step was sinking into something. He contacted Bird, who drove to the site and notified the insurance company on the way.
Bird said the volunteer indicated the roof had fallen — actually, the roof was in “great condition,” it was replaced only eight years ago with a 50-year warranty. About 20 to 25 percent of the false ceiling, however, had caved in
He said walking into the theater was like Sept. 11, 2001.
“On 9/11, everything was covered in that ash — that’s what it looked like,” Bird said. “When the plaster hit the floor or the seats, it seemed to disintegrate.”
Not only did the dust and chunks of ceiling material cover the stage, seats, and curtains, but since the doors to the theater lobby were open, they even covered the front glass windows and doors.
“It looked like a bomb went off,” Bird said.
He said at first he thought the ceiling fell because of a windy storm that night.
Instead, the engineer found rust on the fasteners, which normally are not visible. A small piece of plaster had fallen a year prior, Bird said, and an inspector came to investigate but told the theater group the ceiling was fine — this ruled out the cause of negligence. The fasteners dated to the ’50s.
Following the collapse, ServPro came to the auditorium and cleaned up the mess in 10 hours, Bird said, removing four tons of debris.
Hillsdale County Building Inspector Ray Taylor visit the theater to concur with the engineer’s recommendations for the repairs.
“The engineer report basically concluded that because the whole ceiling is roughly the same age and showing other signs of wear…their recommendation was to replace the ceiling in the theater and control booth,” Taylor said. “It doesn’t do a lot of good to just patch up the ceiling if the fasteners and the rest of ceiling are as old as the part that failed.”
Samples to check for asbestos were taken. Bird said most of the theater was built in the ’30s, though it is unlikely asbestos is in the building. Those results should become available within another week or two.
After that happens, Bird can know how much insurance will cover for repairs to the building. He said the insurance might cover them completely.
“To say our insurance company has been great would be the understatement of the year,” Bird said.
Some of the repairs may be a problem, specifically the auditorium seats, because their kind is no longer made. Bird said they might have to replace all of them.
Once the theater finalizes plans with its insurer, contractors will bid to do the repairs. Bird said he hopes they will finish in May so that “Tarzan,” the Sauk’s largest showcase of 2016, can perform in the building again in June.
Until then, Phillips Auditorium will host the next three shows: “M*A*S*H,” “All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” and “A Festival of One Acts.”
Bird said he originally expected Phillips to be unavailable due to its scheduled expansion, but the college delayed renovations of the auditorium. The college’s events program aligned to accommodate the Sauk’s season without changing performance dates and times.
Bird looked at other spaces, including church basements and gymnasiums. Having the opportunity to perform in an actual theater is ideal, he said.
“It’s small but so is the Sauk,” Bird said. “To end up in a space that is designed for theater has really been a blessing.”
“M*A*S*H” Director Kristin Hood said working with the smaller stage and limited lighting options caused her to rethink the staging, but she said she is grateful to use the space.
“Having to rethink everything was challenging but fun to do,” Hood said.
For some of the longtime Sauk volunteers, performing at Phillips, Bird said, “comes full circle” since the college’s theater program and the Jonesville community theater worked on a few productions together in the ’70s, when the college’s actors performed in Phillips.
While the Sauk’s shows continue to go on with the help of Hillsdale, the repair process, Bird said, is progressing slowly.
“It’s been a lot of hurry up and wait,” Bird said. “It’s been seven weeks since it happened, and essentially nothing has been done to the building.”