Decade of lobbying for local theater paid off Council approves funds for 'black-box' theater for Brick Community Players BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer The Nov. 28 Brick Township Council meeting ended with something not usually heard at municipal government gatherings. Applause. It came from the members of the Brick Community Players, who held a collective breath as council members voted on a bond ordinance that included funds for their new home. "We were so scared sitting there, waiting and thinking someone will get up and [object to] something," said Maryann Ridoux, the group's public relations director. "We were just floored. We wanted to show our appreciation." And 85-year-old Ada Cole, who lobbied township officials for more than a decade for a permanent theater, was speechless. "She couldn't get up and say anything," Ridoux said. "She was so emotional. This was like a miracle to us." "I'm still on cloud nine," said Cole, whom group members consider the voice and face of the theater company. "I could not believe it when it went through. I knew it had been pending. I couldn't go up and thank them. I knew I would burst into tears." Theater group members had been tipped off several weeks ago that the council had taken an initial vote on the bond ordinance that included the funds. But they had no guarantees going into the council meeting that night that the funds would be approved. Janet Lynn Spahr, whose father, John, started the theater group in 1990, was almost overcome with emotion when she went up to the microphone. "It was his idea to start the group," she said. "Thank you very much." The township will spend roughly $100,00 to renovate two vacant stores in the township-owned Civic Plaza on Chambers Bridge Road, acting Township Administrator Scott Pezarras said. "We are giving them space to host their performances, and the money will be used to work up the space," he said. The new "black box" theater will feature a movable stage, a green room for the cast, a sound booth and between 80 to 90 seats, Ridoux said. It could take up to a year to complete the renovations, she said. "They will probably break ground within a month or two," she said. The permanent theater will make it possible for the Brick players do more than two or three performances of a single play, she said. "We've been helping the town for so long, and we were wearing ourselves out," Ridoux said. "People practice for months for these shows and we are given two nights to do it. You have just perfected it; then it's gone." Township Recreation Superintendent Andrea Zapcic said Mayor Joseph Scarpelli asked her several years ago what the township could do for the group. The group has been performing at a multipurpose room in the Civic Center that is used for a number of other functions, she said. "It means a lot," Zapcic said. "They are still going to have to bring their set pieces in from their storage facility." The township has to wait 20 days until the funds are available to begin the renovations, Zapcic said. "The first thing we will do is to get an architect in, and then we will have to bid it out," she said. The Brick Community Players have been an asset to the township in many ways, Zapcic said. "They are a pleasure to work with," Zapcic said. "They always leave the place cleaner than when they found it. They really contribute greatly to the cultural fabric of the community. They really have been nomads." And the philosophy in the recreation department has changed over the years, she said. "It's not just about sports anymore," she said. "It's recreation and leisure services. Municipal recreation departments have things to offer all segments of the population. Our department will always have a health, fitness and sports focus, but we don't want to leave out culture and some passive recreation." Cole can't wait for the day the doors of the new theater open for the first time. "We're going to celebrate," she said. "The champagne will flow when that door opens." The 10 years she spent nagging public officials for space were not wasted, Cole said. "They all knew when they saw me coming it was trouble for them," she said. "It all paid off."