Lucas Area Community Theater, Inc. (LACT) currently consists of a group of eleven people who have renovated the old ISIS Theatre. The theater building had sat vacant for eighteen years until March of 1999 when LACT began renovation. Within eighteen months, LACT and several volunteers had gutted and remodeled the exterior and interior of the theater building with over 4000 hours of volunteer labor. Musical and theatrical performances, cinema productions and educational arts are a few of the multipurpose uses planned for the theater. Completion of the project was December 16th of 2000. Watch for upcoming show dates and live productions!

In October of 2005, the Lucas Area Community Theater began work on the Dressing Room/Community Room Addition project through the Kansas Department of Commerce KAN STEP grant. The addition consists of a basement with storage, dressing rooms, bathrooms, and work room. The main floor also has bathrooms and kitchenette along with a removeable wall for an extra dressing room. A mezine level for extra storage.

Sept. through Dec., volunteers have poured a concrete basement floor, set Insulated Concrete Forms(ICF) for the basement walls, poured the basement walls, and set the steel beams and floor decking. Volunteers have put about 700 hours into the theater addition in 2005. During Jan., volunteers have poured the main floor, placed the first layer of ICF blocks for the main floor walls, poured that layer of block walls, and are setting more ICF blocks to continue the walls up to the same height as the original building. During Feb., volunteers finished setting the ICF blocks for the main level walls and set the roof trusses. The last pour of concrete was finished Feb. 10th.

On Feb. 25th & Mar. 4th of 2006, volunteers attached the new addition roof to the existing building roof and set metal sheets on the roof trusses. On Mar. 11th, the roof was finished with a rolled roofing process by several volunteers who were not afraid of working high off the ground. On April 21st, work started up again on the addition after a short rest time. A great crew installed the doors and outside metal sheeting. Through May and June, volunteers finished the outside sheeting and awning.

Work in 2006 has begun inside with framing the bathrooms, storage closets, and stairway. On August 11th, the volunteer crew took down the old cement wall that divided the old building from the new addition. It was a hot and dirty job. Aug.,Sept., and Oct. work had the volunteers finishing the framing inside of the basement, main floor, and mezine. The crew is installing electrical throughout the addition. Also the duct work for heating and air is installed. Volunteers are working on the plumbing. The LLHS electro car students are helping with the addition. The cinema screen has been moved to a moveable frame that can be moved out of the way to open up the stage for more live performances.

On Feb. 9th of 2007, a crew including High School students helped unload 250 sheets of sheet rock. Then the sheets of 100 4 X 8 footers were moved down in the basement and 34 sheets of the 4 X 12 footers were moved upstairs. Workers hung most all the sheet rock in the basement on Feb. 9th and 10th. On Feb. 10th two age groups of young dancers performed their recital in the Theater while workers were hanging sheet rock in the basement. Around 100 family and friends enjoyed the recital. The dancers and instructors did a great job.

During Feb. and Mar. of 2007, volunteers hung all the sheet rock and mudded the seams. In April, a crew textured all the walls and a few ceilings that had been sheet rocked. Volunteers are hanging ceiling tiles and painting.

Through April and May, the theater addition volunteers finished painting, staining and hanging doors, and installing ceiling tiles. The floors were tiled and carpeted. The stage floor was installed. There are still a few things to finish, and the volunteers have done a great job on the addition.

Check out the pictures on the Kansas Rural Water Website.

Kansas Rural Water

 

 

Lucas Area Community Theater, Inc.

116 S. Main Street

P.O. Box 1

Lucas, KS 67648

(785)525-7747

email - lucastheater@yahoo.com