YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Hopewell Theatre’s recent construction of a handicapped accessible ramp was a long time coming.
Nearly eight years of fundraising efforts, a pandemic delay and rising construction costs slowed the project.
Even after breaking ground in 2022, there were still hurdles – an unexpected gas line that had to be moved and a car accident that damaged the building.
“It honestly felt like this poor ramp was never going to get done,” says Traci Manning, vice president of the Hopewell’s board of directors.
The ramp allows more people to enjoy productions at the theater at 702 Mahoning Ave. in Youngstown – a former church built in the 1890s.
The lead gift came from Marlene Strollo and a final piece was a $22,300 grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venues Operating Grant. Strollo, a board member and longtime supporter of the Hopewell Theatre, dedicated her gift in memory of her family members, Dominic M. and Evelyn F. Menaldi.
The Hopewell Theatre was founded in the early 1990s as The Victorian Players Theater, which reflected the historical plays it specialized in.
It evolved into mainstream fare in recent years and changed its name in 2017.
Raising money for projects like the ramp is difficult for nonprofit theaters, but the Hopewell is already looking toward its next goal: an accessible restroom on its main floor. Currently, the restrooms are in the basement and only accessible by stairs.
“We receive no public funding or anything like that. So everything we do is through ticket sales, donations and then a couple of grants that we [receive] for specific projects,” Manning says.
Hopewell Theatre’s 2024-25 season continues Dec. 6-15 with “Steal Away,” a farcical drama set in Chicago during the Great Depression.
The season will end with “Middletown,” which explores life in a small American town.
The Hopewell Theatre has also been the home of Millennial Theatre Company for the past few seasons.
Millennial, which specializes in modern musicals, will launch its season with the horror-comedy “Little Shop of Horrors” Oct. 18-27.
Next up will be a holiday season show, “Who’s Holiday,” an adults-only comedy that reworks the story of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” Nov. 29-Dec. 1.
Pictured at top: Marlene Strollo cuts the ribbon for the new handicap accessible ramp. She’s surrounded by Hopewell Theater board members and supporters.