Ask Andy Butterfield about the Weston Theater Company and its communications director will spotlight the fact Vermont’s oldest professional troupe — a cornerstone of its namesake set-piece hometown of 623 — boasts such dedicated talent as David Bonanno, who’s appearing this summer in his 50th production.
But when Butterfield arrived at work this week at the company’s white-pillared playhouse, he found Bonanno wasn’t in costume. Instead, the actor was muddling around in muck boots.
Weston was making history. Unfortunately, again.
Founded in 1937, the company — even older than its neighbor, the flagship Vermont Country Store — has endured as much as it’s evolved in the past 86 years.
In 1962, the original playhouse was felled by fire. In 1973 and 2011, its replacement was flooded by the nearby West River. In the latter case, Tropical Storm Irene washed away a $700,000 renovation of the theater’s dressing rooms, prop shop and orchestra pit with a baby grand piano.
On Monday, stormwater acted up for a sequel.
“While we are dedicated to forging a path forward, the flooding has dealt us a devastating blow,” Susanna Gellert, executive artistic director, wrote in a statement to supporters.
That means, for the moment, the show won’t go on. Instead, staff and volunteers are cleaning up for a yet-scheduled reopening of its current sold-out musical, “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.” The company then hopes to debut the play “What the Constitution Means to Me” at its second stage at the nearby undamaged Walker Farm.
Since its start, Weston has morphed from a summer-stock bill of Broadway titles (its first musical, “Brigadoon,” premiered in 1952) to a year-round nonprofit Equity drama, education and development center.
“Building back our audience post-Covid, we were feeling strong,” Butterfield said. “And then this hit.”
Although the company is still calculating the damage, it already has added a “donate” button to its website.
“The mountain of repair costs will be a steep one to scale,” Gellert wrote in her statement to supporters. “We will likely need to engage in large-scale fundraising efforts to weather the storm.”
Because, the company knows, the show must go on. Bonanno, for example, just began rehearsals for his 51st Weston production, set to open next month. Its fateful title: “Singin’ in the Rain.”
