State Theater of Havre de Grace forced to halt productions due to city code violations

A Harford County theater was forced to close its doors after the city of Havre de Grace said it was not up to code.

Owners of the State Theater of Havre de Grace said they halted all upcoming productions as they determine their next steps.

The theater was hand-picked for River Stone Theater Company's first-ever show, the musical comedy the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was scheduled to open on July 18.

Tickets have been sold, and a cast has been assigned, but the plans had to be altered.

"We've raised a lot of funds to get to the point where we can be able to buy the rights, have the costumes, do the auditions," said Chuck Hamrick, board member at River Stone Theater Company.

Noncompliant with the city permit code

The State Theater of Havre de Grace closed on July 1 after it was found noncompliant with city code.

Theater owner Katie Noe said the fire marshal told them they needed to install a sprinkler system when they opened in the 110-year-old building five years ago, but the pandemic slowed things down.

She said the city of Havre De Grace told them the project would cost $137,000, and they were able to secure a grant for $100,000.

"The sprinkler system is something that we know needs to happen, but we never thought it would be something that would keep us from operating at all," Noe said.

State Theater receives closure notice

Noe said the theater has been operating without an occupancy permit since January, which she says the city was aware of, while they worked to find the money to finish the project and meet code.

However, on June 19, they received a letter that they had two weeks to meet the city code before they were shut down.

"My husband and I spoke against some of the financial practices of the city at a public hearing on June 9, and then a week later, we were given the notice that we had 14 days to finish everything," Noe said. "That was probably the biggest shock."

Noe believes the notice was the city's way of retaliating against them.

But Dr. Christopher Ricci, Havre De Grace's Director of Administration, said that couldn't be further from the truth.

"The reason why we're now enforcing it, or now, at this point I should say, is this city has been working with the State Theater, we've partnered with them, we've helped them get grants, we've tried to help them open and remain open, and the State Theater has still not complied with all the requirements."

Money raised, but extension needed

Noe said that as they approach the final stages of the project, the price tag is closer to $200,000, which is more than they can afford.

"Luckily, we've been able to pull money from our personal savings into it, we've gotten some from other partners to help with those costs, especially as it pertains to the hookup to the city water main," Noe said. "But we're kind of tapped out because of how the scope has changed."

An online fundraiser has almost raised the $30,000 needed to complete the renovations, which Noe says would only take about six more weeks.

That is why she requested a three-month extension at Monday night's council meeting.

Dr. Ricci says that the decision needs to go through the Court of Appeals.

Now, scheduled productions like Hamrick's have nowhere to perform.

"This could cause irreversible damage to River Stone Theater Company," Hamrick said. "We have invested a lot, we've done hard work to raise the money, and not having the show could potentially set us back for a very long period of time."

To help the theater, you can visit this website. If you have a venue that might be able to host the River Stone Theater Company's upcoming show, visit this website.