By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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PECATONICA — A grassroots group of arts supporters is working to showcase the value of the Pec Playhouse as the nonprofit community theater works to rebuild in downtown.
The small theater at 314 N. Main St. in the village’s quaint downtown was torn down after its roof collapsed under the weight of heavy snow in February 2021. Plans to rebuild have been stuck in limbo, largely because of a debate over what will happen to a 141-year-old former granary next to where the theater once stood.
Now, an ad hoc committee started by two pairs of sisters calling themselves Sisters4Theatre is working to jump-start the building of a new theater.
The group recently released its calculation of the economic impact Pec Playhouse Theatre has had since its founding in 1991. Their calculation, which relies on methodology from Americans for the Arts and The Do Good Institute from the University of Maryland, shows a value of more than $15 million over 30 years. That number combines visitor and volunteer spending with the estimated value of volunteer hours. There’s an additional $1.5 million in the estimated value of annual ticket sales.
“Pec Playhouse Theatre is undoubtedly an anchor in the downtown business district, and people miss it,” said Angela K. Larson, part of the ad hoc group. “The restaurants miss it, the bars miss it, but most of all the volunteers miss it.”
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Kellie Knutti, the owner of Bootie’s Main Tap, will attest to the effect the theater has had on business at her restaurant. She said revenue typically increases about 10% on weekends when the playhouse has a show.
“We see people from all areas come in for dinner. It helps us bring on one extra staff member for the night,” Knutti said. “People are coming to our establishment. Hopefully they’re coming back to see it, and they’re looking at all of downtown Pecatonica and supporting it.”
Knutti, who has owned Bootie’s for more than 17 years, said she tries to see at least one show of every production the playhouse puts on. She said the small, quaint theater puts on impressive shows and keeping it downtown will help other businesses like hers.
“They don’t just come to the theater and then leave,” Knutti said. “Most of them stop, eat, get gas, go to the grocery store. They’re seeing the downtown, and they come back at another time and spend their money.”
The Pec Playhouse board wants to rebuild on the Main Street site where its theater once stood. Its poll of 230 residents and visitors to the village of about 2,000 showed about 96% would like to see the theater rebuilt in the downtown business district.
“It’s common for arts organizations to be an anchor of local business districts,” said Pam Clark Reidenbach, one of the sisters working on the committee. She said research conducted by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation backs that claim. “As an anchor business, community theaters provide both economic and social impact.”
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‘We can work this out’
Key among the holdups to construction is the theater board’s plan to raze the 141-year-old, hand-built granary that stands next to the empty lot where the theater was located.
The Sandborn granary is viewed as a key piece of Pecatonica’s agricultural and community history by a group trying to save the structure. The group is pursuing historic landmark status for the granary, and supporters would like to see the structure reused while keeping its historic integrity intact — much like developers did in Rockford with the revamp of the Prairie Street Brewhouse and Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront Hotel.
“We just feel that there’s got to be a way we can work this out,” said Joan Cunningham, part of the group working to save the granary. “Right now, unless they can find a place that they’re willing to go to … they’re dead set on taking that elevator down.”
The Village Board put a moratorium on demolition last year, but it was not reinstated this year.
Cunningham said the Pecatonica Improvement Association initially gifted the building to the playhouse, which used it for storage. It also provided $50,000 for upkeep of the granary.
The playhouse has offered to move the structure in whole so it can build on the site, but that option would be too costly and it would change the history that needs to be preserved, Cunningham said.
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She said granary supporters are working with nearby businesses to find downtown space for the playhouse that will leave the granary intact. She said there are also buyers interested in reusing the granary, but there are several moving parts needed to fall in place.
“There’s some business shuffling going on in Pecatonica,” Cunningham said. “A lot of people are trying to work together on it.”
The theater group agreed to entertain other sites for the building, but it says it is also working against the clock. It needs to initiate the project by February to collect $100,000 held in escrow by the insurance company. The total cost to build the theater is estimated at $1.5 million to $2 million.
Pec Playhouse has hosted 155 productions and more than 1,400 performances during its 30-year history. The all-volunteer organization totaled an estimated 247,000 volunteer hours to put those shows on.
Now, with no home theater, the group has continued hosting shows at the Seward School Center, which is roughly 5 miles away.
“To have that continuity of seasons, it’s important to still put on shows,” Larson said. “But it’s even more important to give the volunteers a chance to do the work that gives them joy.”
About the calculation
Here’s a breakdown of how Sisters4Theatre calculated the Pec Playhouse Theatre 2022 Impact Statement.
$1.5M on tickets: Ticketing data shows the theater’s average annual audience is 4,472 patrons paying an average of $11 per ticket. That equal approximately $1.5 million on tickets over 30 years.
$1.5M in additional spending: The calculation is based on an estimate that each patron spends an additional $11 in Pecatonica after the show.
$6M in volunteer spending: Estimated spending by volunteers at local restaurants, bars, shops and the gas station.
$6.7M value of volunteer hours: According to The Do Good Institute at The University of Maryland, the value of a volunteer hour is $27.20. That makes the value of playhouse volunteers approximately $224,056 annually or $6.7 million over the course of 30 years, according to Sisters4Theatre.
$1M: Local spending on building maintenance and production costs.
Source: Sisters4Theatre
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.