“But there was a point where we had to keep going… We just said, we can’t stop now.”

Plus, if they didn’t finish the work, the Trillium Foundation could ask for their grant money back.

“If we’re going to call ourselves a theatre, even if it’s only six days a year, we have to conform to the same standards that, say Mirvish Theatre in Toronto, does,” Goeree said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s fair or not, it’s the way it is. In the end, you just have to cope with what challenges they put in front of you.”

The renovations also had to be done keeping in mind that other groups use the arena for other events. “Everything we put in had to be removable,” Goeree said.

Meeting the fire codes also includes new ongoing costs: TCP expects to pay around $4,000 or $5,000 before each year’s show for new mandatory inspections by the Fire Marshal, the Electrical Safety Authority, and more to ensure that the Trinity Theatre set-up meets code.

TCP sent out emails earlier this month asking for donations to “help us recover from this shortfall, and to ensure that we can produce community theatre at its very best.”

After a two-year hiatus, Goeree was worried about bringing back the army of volunteers needed to stage a big musical again. People are coming back, he said, but more bodies are needed as preparations for “Mary Poppins” in the coming spring pick up steam.

The coming show isn’t at risk of being a low-budget production because of these construction costs, Goeree said, but TCP’s reserves are gone. They’ve spent their savings, leaving the group in a very tight, potentially risky position. It could take TCP six or seven years of successful shows to make up the $25,000 they’ve spent on the arena.

“The goal of this fundraising program is to get us back on firm financial ground,” Goeree said.

Mary Poppins was specifically chosen to help draw families and kids back to TCP. “That’s who we are,” Goeree said. The smaller shows staged while waiting for these renovations to end were fine, but are not TCP’s true calling, he said.

“I think people should give because they believe in the value of community theatre,” he said. “And I think they should also give because they have confidence in our ability to run a business that is self-sustainable. We have always been self-sustainable, except when we have had to renovate someone else’s building.”

Donations can be made online at thecommunityplayers.com, or by mailing a cheque to The Community Players, P.O. box 6154, New Hamburg, Ontario, N3A 2K6. TCP can give tax receipts for donations over $10.