05/20/2023
First of all, we want to express our appreciation for the overwhelming, positive support we've received over the past 36 hours. This has come about so quickly. We learned about the theater at 227 S. Ohio in Sedalia late Wednesday evening. By early Thursday afternoon, we were the owners.
For those who don't know us, let us introduce ourselves.
The Groundhog received 501c3 status in 2016 as a performing arts nonprofit with a dual mission: education and development of performing artists, and community entertainment.
The Comedy Academy opened the Groundhog Day Theater, soon nicknamed The Groundhog, in the KC Northland in 2018 after the owner of their original location in the KC Crossroads failed to address inadequate building conditions.
The Groundhog weekly presented a Friday standup comedy show (followed by an open mic), a Saturday original comedy (two of which went on to be selections for the KC Fringe Festival), and, after musicians discovered the excellent acoustics of the theater, a Sunday afternoon Unplugged music series.
The Comedy Academy offered classes in improv, sketch, and standup for kids and adults, presented community productions of classic comedy plays, and organized the Northland Comedy Festival.
We were especially proud of The Young Comedians program, which gave young people the opportunity to explore the genres of improv, sketch, and standup. The professional-level performances were greatly enjoyed by family, friends, and community. But most amazing was the impact upon the kids themselves with boosts to confidence and expression. There were students who remained in the program from the beginning to the last shows in May of 2022.
The Groundhog was twice nominated as Best Comedy Venue in KC in The Pitch magazine, losing out both times to The Comedy Club of KC which features big-name touring acts.
Unfortunately the pandemic happened. The Groundhog remained closed for much of 2020 into 2021, and when we were open, we had to operate at 1/4th normal capacity and with other restrictions. We survived all that (despite qualifying for zero federal help), scraping together rent each month, only to not have enough of our 2019 audiences return in 2021. The final show at The Groundhog in Gladstone took place in June 2022.
Skip forward to now, and we couldn't be happier to be jumping into the thriving cultural arts scene happening in Sedalia. We wish we could be opening today...
Which bring us up to the building at 227 S. Ohio.
Several people have express their desire to see the theater restored to its former glory. We too would love to also see that. However we can only address the building as we saw it for the first time on Thursday. This is no longer the theater as it was in 1936. It isn't even in the condition we see in pictures from ten years ago. Almost all interior walls have been ripped down to the studs, as has been the once-beautiful ceiling. Cool art deco lighting fixtures lay in broken pieces of debris on the floor. Daylight coming through exterior walls can be seen in numerous places. Pigeons roost in the rafters leaving droppings everywhere below...
But there is some hope. Around noon this past Thursday, our artistic director stepped across trash and debris to get to the front center edge of the stage. As he spoke out from this spot into the space, he heard, above the cooing of pigeons, his voice return to his ears, an encouraging sign of the sweet acoustics designed into the original layout of the theater. He could imagine voices and musical instruments bringing the space alive again...
As a poor underfunded nonprofit, there will be limits to how much of the former visual details can be recaptured. But we promise this room will be alive with sound again.
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to inviting you in to become part of the Groundhog family, as students, performers, volunteers, board members, champions, and audience, just as we are feeling the outpouring of welcome into your community.,
