This past offseason, there’s rarely been a quiet moment at the Waterside Theatre. We have been hard at work improving the Waterside Theatre to truly make it one of the most stunning live entertainment venues on the East Coast. Below is just some of the work that has been since the start of 2023!
Footwells
Thanks to the National Park Service, the Waterside Theatre now features brand new footwells! This new material is a rubber material that is fitted to look like gravel. This new material serves two purposes: helping with the flow of water and improve the overall aesthetics of the theatre. This rubber material was custom molded to fit into each individual row, and it took a team of 15 people over 3 weeks to vacuum out all of the sand and install the new material! Once all of the sand was removed, 9 inches of river rock were installed before the rubber material was poured into the wells, which then took 2 weeks to dry. We could not be more grateful to the National Park Service for funding and implementing this project that will help our guests enjoy the show comfortably every night!
Kneewall
Something else that you will immediately notice when you walk into the Waterside Theatre for the 2023 season is our new Kneewall! This wall was rebuilt in January of 2023 by our Facilities Manager Charlie Gravatte and Executive Director Chuck Still. The old kneewall was in serious need of repair, and was one of the first things that Chuck Still determined needed to be replaced at the end of last season. This new wall is built with lumber that is weather-treated and is insulated so that it will last for several years. It has also received a fresh coat of paint that will fade into a beatiful, natural color by the end of the summer.
Landscaping
One of the items that has been high on our list (but sadly not been able to make happen) since reopening in 2021 was the restoration of the Garden at the top of the hill of Waterside Theatre in front of the light shack. This May we were finally able to begin this process! Callahan’s Landscaping worked their magic weeding, mulching, installing some new potted plants, and beautifying the areas directly around Paul Green’s statue, the FDR and Skipper Bell plaques, and Cora Mae Basnight’s tree. It is our hope to continue this process to create a natural, beautiful garden for guests to enjoy as they enter the Waterside Theatre.
There are many other exciting bits of progress to be seen at the Waterside Theatre this summer, such as new bathrooms in the House Left Breezeway and a brand new Gift Shop! We hope that you will spend an evening with us this summer to see our progress, both on stage and off! Enjoy some photos below of the work being done this winter and spring at the Waterside Theatre.
Come see the work done this summer and buy your tickets for the 2023 season of The Lost Colony here!
