The show will go on at the Historic Artcraft Theatre. But it will take a few weeks.
Damage from the March 31 storms that battered Johnson County has forced theater leadership to close through April 16. After reviewing a report compiled by engineers following the storms, they decided that until the recommended damage repairs were completed, the Artcraft could not be occupied for entertainment reasons.
“We were lucky. We just had some damage that can be fixed,” said Dave Windisch, director of marketing for Franklin Heritage, which operates the Artcraft. “Movies can be rescheduled, events can be rescheduled. That’s what we’ll do.”
High winds battered downtown Franklin during the night of March 31, resulting in damage throughout the area, including to the Johnson County courthouse. At the Artcraft, the winds damaged the west side of the roof above the stage, which will immediately need to be repaired.
Engineers started investigating the damage Monday morning. From what they can gather, the roof had been lifted up and slammed down multiple times, knocking bricks loose and loosening the facade.
The timing of those repairs will dictate how long the theater will remain closed, Windisch said.
“We’ve already talked to our mason, who came out on Monday and he’s working on a plan to get the job done. That’s just what we’re going to do — follow the engineers’ plans,” he said. “If we have to cancel more, we’ll cancel more in order to get this done correctly and safely. We don’t want to, but we will.”
The decision impacts ticket-holders who had planned to attend one of the four film screenings of “The Glenn Miller Story” on Friday and Saturday. Those screenings have been canceled, as have two live performances of The Glenn Miller Orchestra, which had been planned for April 13.
The Daily Journal group travel information session scheduled at 3 p.m. April 16 is still scheduled but would be moved to another date if the theater is not repaired in time. For more information on that event see page B5 in the Friday paper.
All tickets will be refunded, Windisch said. For customers who purchased tickets online, they will automatically be refunded, though the process may take several business days.
People who would like to convert their ticket purchase to a donation, email [email protected].
Customers who purchased tickets in person are asked to hold on to their tickets and return them to the will-call office for an in-person refund. They can do that during Artcraft office hours from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
While numerous people have reached out about donating to help the Arcraft, officials are asking people to donate to victims in Whiteland through the Johnson County Community Foundation instead, Windisch said.
“We have tons of people asking how to donate and help us out. That’s kind and a good feeling, but right now we’re more concerned about the folks in Whiteland than we are about the theater,” he said.
While the roof is the main focus of damage repairs, other parts of the theater exterior were broken during the storm. The marquee had broken panels and tracks for lettering. Nearly all of the letters that had been up advertising upcoming events were also lost to the storm.
Those aspects will be rebuilt, Windisch said.
A movie poster case was torn off the building, and something — possibly that case — smashed into the bright red Vitrolite glass on the ticket booth, Windisch said.
“It stinks. We had some of our favorite events coming up,” he said. “Movies can be picked up and rescheduled, but people can’t be replaced. That’s our approach.”
