VENICE, Fla. — Sept. 28 marks the day when Hurricane Ian battered the Southwest Florida region.
The Category 4 storm, which made landfall in the Fort Myers area, packed 155-mile-per-hour winds and a 15-foot storm surge in coastal areas.
The storm flooded communities, destroyed homes and businesses and displaced thousands. At least 149 people died during or in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Six months later, several of those communities are still in the recovery process and slowly struggling through rebuilding all that they have lost.
Several communities in Sarasota County like Englewood, North Port and Venice were also impacted. A historic theater was among the badly damaged structures.
Parts of the Venice Theatre, which was built in 1926, couldn't withstand Hurricane Ian's massive winds. It knocked down the back wall of the main auditorium and caused the wall to cave in.
Millions of dollars worth of lighting equipment and historic furnishing were lost from rain and flooding damage.
"Hurricane Ian visited Venice Theatre unfortunately and the back wall and the fly loft were decimated, and we've been in recovery and restoration mode since then," Kristofer Geddie, director of diversity at Venice Theatre, said.
Despite that setback, the folks who showcase their talents at the theater have been determined to rebuild it.
"There was a lot of water damage," Geddie said. "A lot of that has been restored now. On the west side of the building, it is mostly or completely restored and our Pinkerton Theatre is reopened again."
With the help of the community, local charity and arts organizations as well as volunteers, the education building was transformed into a 130-seater theater which has allowed the facility to showcase a much condensed season that kicked off in January.
In a few days, a production of The Silver Foxes Bodacious Broadway will open in the Raymond Center with an ensemble of volunteer actors, most of them senior residents.
"We started rehearsing right away again as soon as the hurricane was over and we were one of the first groups to get back to rehearsing for the shows," actor Mary Rau-Foster said. "It shows you that just because you're older doesn't mean that you can't be bolder as well."
The theater's executives hope to raise $4 million for the renovation process and so far have raised about $2.1 million.
"Venice Theatre is one of the candlesticks of this community, the heart of the community and we need our heartbeat back," Geddie added.
The theater's managers plan to have all the repairs completed and the main stage reopened by January 2024.