Playhouse installing new seats

The Lake City Playhouse hopes to be sitting pretty before its next performance in mid-January.

New management at the playhouse decided to install new seats next week rather than continuing to repair old seats. The seats were donated about 18 months ago, said Noel Barbuto, managing director.

“It’s a great little Christmas gift,” Barbuto said. “It helps out the theater.”

Cheryl Ann Rossi planned to use the seats for a new theater in the area but offered them to the playhouse instead. The old seats will be removed and sold for $5 each to raise money for playhouse renovations. About one-third of the old seats have already been sold.

While there will be fewer new seats, reducing seating to about 180 from 212, they will be of better quality, he said. The seats are plastic with soft armrests and a metal, fold-up seat.

“Instead of everybody being in regular class, we’ll move everybody to business class,” he said. “It’s definitely a big improvement.”

First, old seats will be removed, then the volunteers will paint the walls and fix and patch the floor beneath the seats. They’ll work through the week and hope to have the new seats installed two weeks before the next show opens on Jan. 14.

Barbuto said patrons will notice the change, and he’s eager to walk down an aisle without having to ask theatergoers to stand up so he can pass.

“I’m tired of trying to do that every time I have to get out,” he said. “That’s what people want.”

He said when the new seating arrangement is finished, it will be wider and offer more leg room.

Tracey Benson, artistic director, hopes the improvements will spark new interest in the playhouse.

“We have a whole new outlook, a whole new attitude, a whole new team of expertise,” she said. “It goes with overall viewpoint of presenting something new for the audience.”

Playhouse patrons can make a mark on the new seats with a plaque for $50. The money will be used on future renovations at the Lake City Playhouse. Each plaque is 1½ inches-by-4-inches and will have 24 characters available on three lines.

About 60 seat plaques have been sold already. Plaques from the previous chairs will be put on display in the lobby.

“It’s important that the people that gave before continue to understand we appreciate them,” Barbuto said.

He said two of the seats are on display in the lobby so visitors can try them out.

“It will turn the theater up a notch,” he said. “They will enjoy it on a comfort level instead of an just an aesthetic level.”