An Eastern Carolina theater is canceling many of its performances amidst a zoning battle with the city.

The City of Greenville says the Whirligig Stage can only show movies and plays, no other performances like concerts and comedy shows.

City council members say it started when citizens brought the Whirligig Stage's event schedule to their attention. The stage has been acting as a venue for third party events which is not part of its zoning either.

"We have functioned for the past three years under the belief that we were doing everything according to the code," said Whirligig Stage's executive director Jason Coale.

Coale has canceled most of the event schedule until a solution is reached. City council members say the theatre could apply for a special use permit or get rezoned.

"It is very difficult for us to do that while canceling all of the work that we are doing," said Coale.

Coale stressed that the city has been supportive of the theatre and performing arts in general but the Whirligig Stage is seeking legal representation in the hopes of getting their zoning adjusted to include other performing arts.

Greenville Mayor P.J. Connelly is optimistic that the issue will be solved within a few weeks but Coale believes a permanent solution could take longer, possibly months. He hopes a short-term agreement will be reached soon so that the Whirligig Stage can resume its normal schedule.

The City of Greenville gave the Whirligig Stage a 20 thousand dollar grant to jump-start its business in 2017, which led to the theatre getting a permanent building.