MANSFIELD — Chriss Harris agreed only to meet and talk with Doug Wertz about a potential capital campaign to build a new Mansfield Playhouse.
But the area’s fundraising guru wasn’t convinced about the idea — until she sat down and spoke to Wertz, a former teen actor who has now been associated with the East Third Street community theater for 47 years.
She came away a believer in a theater that attracts more than 10,000 ticket-buyers annually.
“I didn’t know Chriss. Quite frankly, she was a bit skeptical when she came in,” Wertz said Wednesday as plans were publicly unveiled for a $7.5 million campaign during a year that marks the 100th anniversary of the local community theater organization in Mansfield.
“If you know Chriss, she is straightforward. So when she came in, I figured she would be here 15 or 20 minutes. Two and a half hours later, she left. I think it was because she found out more about the organization and the people here.
“It gave her food for thought. The gears started turning and she went out and tested the idea and she decided — this is a good project,” Wertz said.
Now, Wertz and Mansfield Playhouse officials hope the community agrees that a new home for the the 501(C)(3) non-profit organization is indeed a good project.
Harris praised the project Wednesday.
“The leaders of the Mansfield Playhouse are so committed to both maintaining and continuing a legacy asset in both the Mansfield area and in north central Ohio,” she said.
“This is a very frugal non-profit with limited operational funding, yet Doug and the group are able to create successful performances with local actors and dozens of volunteers,” Harris said.
“I selected this project for those reasons, and, for our community, it’s well-worth the challenge,” she said.
‘Mansfield Playhouse: Building the Next Stage Together’
The new fundraising campaign hopes to fund a fully accessible theater in downtown Mansfield at its current 95 E. Third St. location.
The plan would demolish the current century-old building and construct the new one on the same site, using the parking lot just to the west of the current brick building, a structure built as a church that the Playhouse moved into nearly 60 years ago.
“Our current building has served us well, but it’s time for a transformation,” said Wertz, Playhouse board president and artistic director.
How can you help?
The Mansfield Playhouse is asking individuals, businesses, companies and philanthropic organizations to join the campaign for a new community theater home.
The campaign seeks to engage new donors while strengthening relationships with long-time supporters. Contributions of all sizes will play a vital role in making the project a reality, organizers said.
Gifts to support the 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign can be sent to the Mansfield Playhouse at 95 E. Third St., Mansfield, Ohio, 44902 or by visiting the Playhouse website at www.mansfieldplayhouse.com.
“We owe it to our community to create a space where everyone — regardless of physical ability — can experience the joy of live theater,” he said.
“The community has been so supportive of us for the last 100 years and we still get new members of the community to discover us. We regularly pull in (ticket buyers) from an 80-mile radius and we have had audience members from 32 different states,” Wertz said.
“I think this is a huge deal for the city of Mansfield. To have an updated, accessible facility and to enhance the (theater) experience for everybody would make this more of a destination place within Mansfield.
“I think it will help foster the downtown, as well,” he said.
The new 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building would include two theaters (main and Second Stage), improved amenities and a more inclusive environment that is ADA-compliant — something the current structure is not.
It would be roughly twice the size of the current Playhouse in terms of square feet.
(Below are architectural drawings by the Seckel Group of the proposed new Mansfield Playhouse in downtown Mansfield.)
‘Why not celebrate 100 years with something we can start another 100 years or more with?’
The two-story theater, with the main theater upstairs, has no elevator and its lack of accessibility makes it difficult to secure grant funding. The public restrooms in the current Playhouse are also located at the bottom of steps and are not fully accessible to everyone.
“The fact of the matter is, the Playhouse organization was concerned about becoming (more accessible) in the 1970s. It’s always been on the back of our minds and we have tried to find different ways to work around it for many, many years,” he said.
“We have had architects some in at different times and said, ‘What can we do?’ And we just can’t,” Wertz said.
“We really feel … why not celebrate 100 years with something we can start another 100 years or more with,” he said.
(Above are photos taken Wednesday at the Mansfield Playhouse showing areas of disrepair.)
The west wall of the theater has taken the brunt of the weather abuse over the years. Wertz took media on a tour on Wednesday and pointed out many locations where the brick exterior and the interior walls are simply no longer water-proofed.
“We have water that comes in when we get heavy rains. There is water damage all along the (west) foundation. We get slammed on that side.
About the Playhouse
Founded in 1925, the Mansfield Playhouse is Ohio’s second-oldest continuously operating community theater.
Playhouse officials said the theater is “dedicated to delivering high-quality, affordable theatrical experiences.”
The Playhouse produces seven main stage shows each year, including two children’s musicals, as well as two productions on its Second Stage.
“Upstairs in the auditorium, I can show you where the walls are starting to buckle because it’s actually coming through the masonry into the plaster. If you go up the (backstage steps), you can physically feel the movement on the metal and concrete staircase.
“You hear it when you step on it. Everything is moving,” he said.
“If you go into the women’s restroom, you can see the water damage on the walls,” Wertz said.
He said the Playhouse had the bricks tuck-pointed several years ago, but it has not held up.
A new theater would also allow for additional employment, Wertz said.
Currently, Wertz is the only full-time employee of the Playhouse. His wife, Tammy, works part-time as the theater manager.
“That’s part of the plan, too. By doing all of this, hopefully we can become more a place where we can offer employment and sustain that for awhile and make this more of an entity that will draw more people,” he said.
Wertz credits Harris and her team with helping to create the push for Wednesday’s public announcement.
“She got involved and then she brought her team on. They have been wonderful for us in what they have organized and put together.
“They have really taken the ball and they are running with it very well.” he said.
No official timeline has been announced for raising the $7.5 million.
“It’s going to take some time,” Wertz said. “We would love to break ground in the spring of 2026.
“Is that feasible? We’ll have to see. This has been in the planning process for quite some time,” he said.
“I am very excited about it. If nothing else, we will leave this organization in a heck of lot better shape than we did when we found it.”