Taproot Theatre’s 50th anniversary season in Greenwood is suddenly in jeopardy after thieves stripped copper from two of the venue’s three rooftop air-conditioning units, leaving the company staring down a near-total HVAC rebuild instead of a year of celebration.
The theatre has kicked off an emergency fundraising drive with a $400,000 goal and a June 1 deadline to cover new equipment, contractor labor and the city approvals needed to bring the Jewell Mainstage back up to code, according to KING5.
Producing Artistic Director Karen Lund told reporters the thieves likely walked away with less than $100 worth of copper while leaving behind "hundreds of thousands" of dollars in damage, turning a small payday into a massive headache, per KIRO7. A staff member discovered the damage in mid-April, and the roughly 30-year-old system now needs far more than a quick patch job.
Shows And Camps Face A Ticking Timeline
Taproot’s season materials list Barefoot in the Park in mid-May and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in July, but leadership warns both productions, along with summer acting camps, could be pushed back without a functioning cooling system. According to a press release from Taproot Theatre, Barefoot in the Park was scheduled to run May 13 through June 20, with Joseph set to open in July; the company notes that city approvals alone could add weeks to the repair timeline.
Neighborhood Businesses Brace For Losses
Greenwood merchants say the theatre is more than a cultural anchor; it is a nightly customer pipeline. "Sixty to 70 percent of our customers come from Taproot," neighborhood business owner Yadire Rodriguez told KING5, adding to worries that a prolonged shutdown could hit local sales hard.
How To Help
Taproot is urging supporters to donate through its online portal and to contact the box office with questions about subscriptions or tickets. Donation links and box office information are available on Taproot Theatre.
Why Copper Theft Keeps Costing Cities
Copper theft is not just a theatre problem. Across the region it has disrupted transit service and streetlighting, saddling agencies with six-figure repair bills while thieves cash in metal worth only a fraction of the damage, The Seattle Times reported. Lawmakers and transit officials have floated tighter scrap-metal rules and more physical safeguards to keep would-be thieves away, but prevention remains pricey and far from foolproof.
With the June 1 deadline approaching, Lund said the company would much rather be toasting 50 years of theatre than scrambling to replace rooftop machinery. "This is our 50th anniversary, we’re supposed to be celebrating right now," she told KIRO7. Staff say they are counting on Greenwood regulars and longtime subscribers to help the company turn this plot twist into a brief intermission instead of a canceled season.
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