MUNCIE -- Theatergoers who love Muncie Civic Theatre can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The theatre will go on. A $50,000 grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation and a possible matching grant from Indiana Department of Natural Resources means Civic Theatre will remain a viable place to showcase the arts in Muncie.

The energy used to worry about whether the building will stay open now can be used to perform dazzling dramas and mersmerizing musicals. "It puts people at ease," executive director Marty Grubbs said. "When we told people that we're getting this grant, it became like, 'We really are doing it. This is awesome!'"

The 130-year-old building that houses Civic is crumbling. Leaky roof, damaged or missing windows, water damage, bad floors, plumbing, electrical work -- you name it, it probably needs to be done. That's why the grants have sparked such excitement in the arts community.

"These grants are huge, huge steps," Jeff Rapkin, board president, said. "We are so excited to put this money to work on that theater building. It's just a jewel for the community."

With such an extensive list of repairs, Grubbs is grateful that DNR had such stringent requirements and offered direction on what to repair first -- the roof. The group could apply for another DNR grant in 2012 to continue repairs and upgrades, Grubbs said.

The building was designed as a space for the arts, residential living and commercial all in one place, and Rapkin is hopeful these grants will help that continue for another century.

Civic is the last remaining vaudeville theater in Muncie. At one time, there were seven, according to grant writer Kathleen Rapkin.
"It's going to help legitimize our need in the community to help preserve this beautiful building," she said. "We're on the historic registry. There's a lot of history attached to that building. It would really be a loss for Muncie to not get the support for this building to renovate. This is just sort of our entryway to the initial phase of the capital campaign. We want to bring our theater back to elegance and to make it safe for everybody."

With a $50,000 grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation and possible matching from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Muncie Civic Theatre will begin much needed repair work to the building. The roof and masonry will be the first projects tackled, according to Marty Grubbs.

The 130-year-old building, the last remaining vaudeville theater in the city, has been in a fight for its life in recent years. Even before the recession started, Civic struggled. Slumping ticket sales, fewer corporate sponsors and high bills sent Civic spiraling into debt after record growth. Fundraising and community outreach put Civic "back on track," Grubbs said.