Just wanted to put our a notice and ask to be kept in your thoughts.  Our little Playhouse in Findlay, Ohio took a huge hit in the flooding of the Midwest this week.  The water was up two feet on the outside walls and our basement, greenroom, dressingrooms, bathrooms and kitchen were all under almost 7 feet of water.  Try to keep a good thought going for us.  Anyone else out there have theatre disaster stories or suggestions for us?

Blimey Patrick!
I have been in a few disaters, but nothing to the extent that your group is going thru.
I have been thru deluges on stage during a performance inside a venue & the constant water table rising under the theatre, which we had to put up with.
I suppose the biggest thing for you is go thru the dry out period.
I would imagine most of the electrical distribution will dry out naturaly & equipment may have to be replaced, hoprfully under insurance?
But my experiance with insurance company's, is they are in business of renting out umbrellas, untill it rains. Then take them back!
Which is probly the last thing you are thinking about at this time.
Undoubtably things which only take time to replace,are things like the wardrobe, which in most cases has to be ditched, unless it can be dried out without water damge or growing mold.
One thing we had to do at the theatre with rising damp, was leave a low wattage incandescent globe, burning 24 hors a day, in the wardrobe. Which resolved the constant water problem, wuth the costumes. Also we placed a globe in the piano as well, which worked great.
The deluge on stage, was during 'Glass Onion' & the rain go into to the air con ducting, built up  & over flowed onto the stage. At first it was just splash on to fresnel barn doors, Seeing electric gutarists backing up to get out the way of the water. Was a good indication of what was about to happen, luckly the complete over flow took place during a virtual black out, only with a Lime on for the dialogue. Besides filling up the grand piano & the band scarpering off stage, it was not a great problem, It was easily fix by climbing in the fly grid & putting containers to catch the water. The funiest thing was when the Council [who owned the venue] Engineer said  the next day 'Don't worry about it , it is not a major problem, because it only happens when it rains?"
Anyhow my thoughts go out to your group & hope you can rally enough assistants to take the theatre - Out of the black!

Wow.  Our theatre usually floods most winters.  We sit on the banks of a river and when the ground is frozen, then it rains...no where for the water to go.  Luckily, we are only a summer theater.

3 of the 4 elements have tried to destroy our HS theater.  First, wind: part of the roof blew off.  Second, fire: they set the place on fire welding the roof back on.  Third, water: considerable water damage was done putting the fire out.  And the high school is built on a hill, slowly sliding down so that someday earth will put an end to it all.  I think they probably got new carpet out of the deal, although I heard some of the fly system never got put back up.

We will be moving our season around abit to accomodate the clean up and remodeling.  It does look like we should be back to an operational status by late October/early November.  Thanks to everyone who kept us in their thoughts.