Bloomington Playwright Project completes renovation

The Bloomington Playwrights Project has come a long way from its grimy,
blemished beginnings.

Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the City of Bloomington Investment Incentive Fund (BIIF), the BPP has been able to complete a makeover that has been in the works for nearly two years, Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitz said.

“It gives us an even better reputation,” he said. “People walk in the door and have a perception of the quality of the company. It certainly affects our recognition because we get a lot of exposure that says the BPP is a great place to be.”

Assistant Economic Development Director for the Arts Miah Michaelsen said one of the first projects the BIIF sponsored was the renovation of the theater’s exterior.

As the first organization to receive a grant from the fund in four years, she compared the investment in the BPP to that of WonderLab.

Renovation to the outbuilding structures of Wonderlab, which made it possible to change exhibits more often, helped attract about 80,000 individuals to the museum
in 2011.

The BPP makeover is the same type of project and has a similar sense of purpose, she said.

“Their proposal made a good case in enhancing the BPP with higher quality products, increasing audiences and hiring more artists,” Michaelsen said. “They did their homework in making the case this was a grant project that would have economic development, not just for themselves, but for the community.”

With new lighting and indoor sound systems, the BPP will be able to create a better experience for the audience, Rabinovitz said.

BPP Managing Director Gabe Gloden highlighted the private foundations and individual supporters in areas of design, electricity and painting.

“We needed to renovate the space to make a statement to the arts community that we’re legitimate and we’ll be around a while,” he said.

The usual cast and crew are not the only ones to take the stage at the BPP.

Other local performing groups are able to rent the space for various events at affordable rates, Gloden said.

The newly renovated lobby also offers wall space for local art galleries to exhibit their work. Stone Belt Art Gallery, with which BPP has partnered, currently has pieces on display. The gallery is an art program for adults with disabilities.

“The renovations have allowed the BPP to continue to grow in terms of the amount of donations we receive on an annual basis,” Gloden said. “It makes for more artistic ability, and we have a win-win for the BPP, the artists and any group that we have worked with.”

During the upcoming Grand Re-Opening Celebration on Thursday and Friday, the BPP will also unveil newly commissioned artwork inspired by the Playwrights Project by Joel Washington and Martina Celerin, with support from the Mary Morgan Oliver Foundation.

Without giving away all of their secrets, Gloden also hinted at other announcements in conjunction with the opening weekend of “The Boy in the Bathroom,” the BPP’s latest main-stage show.

The event will feature a reception with musical entertainment and a different beverage and appetizer in each of the newly renovated rooms.

“I think this makeover says we’re here for the foreseeable future, and this is a space we’re committed to,” Gloden said. “Hopefully, people feel it’s an essential part of the community, and they’re proud to have it in their backyard.”

Tickets to “The Boy in the Bathroom” are $18 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors.