Ocean City Theatre Company Takes A Hit From Irene

Hurricane Irene might not have done much damage to the city, but the Ocean City Theatre Company felt her wrath, and they felt it hard.

During the mandatory evacuation, the company was in the middle of rehearsing for two shows: with the junior theater company and with professional actors and dancers from all over the nation.

With the island under a mandatory evacuation order, two weekend performances (originally scheduled for Aug. 26 and 27) of Godspell had to be canceled. A has been rescheduled for Friday, Sept. 2, at the .

The biggest problem with rescheduling performances was that school was starting and a few of of the cast members would either have to miss the performance or miss school. Michael Hartman, artistic director for the company and Godspell's director, knew he was in trouble.

“I was scared that the kids were going to go home and just stay there. But we are all making sacrifices. One of the performers will miss his first week of school to come perform with us. Usually in theater it all comes together on the night of the show, but with Godspell we were lucky to be ready a few days before,” Hartman said.

Godspell was not the only show that was affected. is a large-scale musical that will be performed Sept. 4, 6 and 7 at the with a professional cast being housed here by the company for more than two weeks. When the evacuation was called, the company had to evacuate 24 cast members to Pennsylvania. Hartman's alma mater West Chester University gave them a rehearsal space.

“The Microtel Inn and Suites gave us a decent rate for the last seven rooms they had available, and even Kildare's Restaurant had us in for dinner. All in all, everything was great, but as you can imagine for a nonprofit arts organization, we really took an unexpected blow to our budget.”

Cast member Alexandra Paddock says the whole experience has brought them all together. Her first trip to Ocean City specifically for the show was unfortunately disrupted by Irene.

“Given there is a short amount of time, we came together with a strong intention to work as hard as we can,” Paddock said. “We were taken care of so amazingly. It was a little jarring in terms of rehearsal. Coming back, we know we got closer to each other.”

Kelly Swartz, the director of the show, was nervous as well. Cats is such a large show, and the company had three rehearsals after the storm evacuation. To put a show together in just 10 days with three days out of town is something that requires teamwork and perseverance from every member of the company, Swartz said.

“The passion for this show came through with Mike's love for his company. He isn't in for the financial advantages,. He does it for his love for theater, and his love for the company really made the performances shine through. I think we have a stronger show,” Swartz said.

When Hartman evacuated Ocean City, he didn't know what to expect. Their work space at 15th Street and Haven Avenue is a former Peter Lumber Company location with a loft the company used to house costumes for the show.

All of the props are made at the location as well. With Godspell costing $15,000 and Cats $35,000, Hartman could only hope that nothing would have to be replaced. Thankfully, the only damage was about four inches of water in the space, with the costumes and props still intact.

The company is expected to break even this summer. Even after more patrons showed up to performances compared to last summer, the $5,000 extra hit to the budget from Irene might not let the company have a lot of extra money to work with.

The company is hoping for a good turnout for its two upcoming shows to help its finances rebound.

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: At the Ocean City Tabernacle; 7 p.m. Friday Sept. 2. For tickets ($13 to $15), call 609-525-9248.

: At the Ocean City Music Pier with the Ocean City Pops orchestra 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4, 6 and 7. For tickets ($20 and $15), call 609-525-9248