Lamp Theatre planning expansion for 2020

A pavilion to be built over part of the courtyard at The Lamp Theatre in downtown Irwin will provide shelter from the weather and a raised stage in the courtyard will put musicians a step above the crowds for outdoor concerts, all part of an effort to improve patrons’ experience.

Those details are part of the plans for expanding and renovating the theater this year, said John Gdula, president of the nonprofit Lamp Theatre Corp., which operates the property that reopened in 2015 after extensive renovation.

“We want to have some sort of a temporary stage in the corner of the courtyard that would be elevated,” Gdula said.

The courtyard roof, adjacent to the diner, will provide about 700 square feet of covered space, he said. Steel beams to hold the pavilion roof will be bolted into the courtyard foundation.

To pay for that project, the Lamp Theatre received a $24,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, which requires a $12,000 match in cash or in-kind services, said Terri Yurcisin, Lamp board vice president. The work has to be done this year, Yurcisin said.

“We’re slowly but surely making headway,” Yurcisin said.

The Lamp is in the process of redoing its box office area, creating a new site to pick up “will-call tickets” to reduce congestion around the entrance, Gdula said.

To promote the theater, the organization hired Andrea “Andi” Cartwright of White Oak, who has been the business and marketing manager since September.

“I really felt like I was home. It’s been an incredible experience,” even with the long work weeks, Cartwright said.

She shares the day-to-day duties of operating the Lamp with Bill Elder, the production and operations manager, who books the concerts and shows. Cartwright was hired as the Lamp underwent a reorganization after former manager Danelle Haggerson of Jeannette left in January 2019. She had succeeded longtime manager John Cassandro.

“It helps with the division of the workload,” Cartwright said of splitting the operation with Elder.

Cartwright said her work experience has served her well in the new position. She was the marketing and events coordinator for five years at the Sunset Room, a banquet facility in Elizabeth Township. That role involved customer service — working with brides-to-be and others renting the facility. She promoted the Sunset Room and used a variety of platforms, including social media, to attract business.

She redesigned the Lamp’s website “to make it more visually appealing and user friendly,” Cartwright said.

“This job fits many different aspects of the skills I have developed,” Cartwright said.

Part of her job entails working with volunteers, Cartwright said. She was a volunteer with the Meals on Wheels program in McKeesport, as well as with the McKeesport Heritage Center in Renziehausen Park.

“I have a knowledge of nonprofits” and how they operate, she noted.

Cartwright was with H.J. Heinz Corp. in Pittsburgh for 22 years, starting in the food production plant and becoming a consumer resource representative.

One of the goals in 2020 is to make the theater available to rent for events and celebrations such as birthday parties, where children could watch movies, Cartwright said.

Another revenue generator under consideration is the placement of “lamps” of various sizes that a donor could purchase and on which their name can be etched. They would be placed in the recessed area in the lobby, where patrons could see and read them before shows.

“It’s all about sustaining and growing our clientele,” Cartwright said, making the theatre the “hub of activity” in downtown Irwin.

Gdula said they will have an accounting early this year on how successful the Lamp was in 2019 in attracting patrons.

“The art of programming” is the essence of its success, Gdula said in a recent newsletter.