Volunteers Step Up For Odeum Clean Up

When a dumpster appeared in front of the Odeum recently it created some buzz up and down Main Street among business owners and residents anxious for the theater's re-opening.

The dumpster was a component of a clean up day that brought out Odeum regulars and some new faces who wanted to be part of the revival.  

It was similar to what took place originally when a group of volunteers stepped up to scrub and polish the closed movie theater to create a community performing arts center two decades ago.

Fire code issues shut down the Odeum, and having the doors closed created other problems, including a mold issue. In addition to scrubbing the walls and floors, scraping and painting, the volunteers tore up the moldy center isle carpet. A complete mold clean up will be part of the full renovation.

Odeum Corporation president Frank Prosnitz says architect Chris Henderson is just now finalizing plans to be submitted to the fire marshall.

Contractor Dave Fontaine, who guided the volunteers, is working on the building as money becomes available, coordinating with Samoset Builders of Warren, which did the work on the Second Story Theater in Bristol.

“There is a lot of work that can be done by volunteers,” said Prosnitz. "This gets us going and saves some money.”

The next fundraiser is a party with a New Orleans theme at Quidnesset Country Club on June ^3rd featuring the Zydeco band Slippery Sneakers.  The $75 per person tickets include beverages and lots to eat, including some New Orleans-style food.  There will also be a silent auction. (Reservations can be mailed to The Greenwich Odeum, P.O. Box 504, East Greenwich, R.I. 02818.)

The Odeum board has decided to re-furbish the theater’s existing seats and has received work samples from three companies. 

To pay for that work they will offer seat plaques for $200 each. When all the seats are sold there will be a drawing with the winner getting 25 percent of what is generated to donate to a favorite charity. 

Other fund raisers include the sale of golf and t-shirts and an upcoming entertainment raffle. An important source of hoped-for funds is a grant request submitted to the Champlin Foundations.

The Odeum was forced to close when tough new fire codes were introduced after the disastrous Station Fire. Originally the board was faced with installing sprinklers for the entire building. The strict standards were loosened recently and an agreement was reached on other issues which greatly reduced the amount of money needed.

The Odeum website says that while the work ahead is not as extensive as had been envisioned, a good fundraising effort is still needed. A fall re-opening remains the goal.