The Oak Room at the Citadel

05/18/2024

With Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉 Not only am I a top fan, I'm the newly appointed Chair of the Board - as of last Wednesday! We are here to serve our local communities and I look forward to exploring and maximizing our growth potential in the coming years...

04/24/2024

Long post alert: Please read on to learn more about the journey that led to Sarah and I selling the 91 Hinkley Dance Center building to the best buyer we could think of: The Citadel Dance and Music Center. Please support the Citadel capital campaign: www.CitadelDMC.org.

In the late 1990’s Scott Elliot gave me a tour of the old Salvation Army Regional Headquarters Building in the hopes that I would be interested in partnering with him, in some way, to restore the Oak Room. They had recently purchased the 91 Hinkley building and were already hard at work restoring the old gymnasium for a new dance studio for the Citadel Dance Center.

The Oak Room was a terrible mess and I ended up renting a small storefront from Isaac Duncan III at 132 Pipestone instead. At that time, it was the recently vacated Salvation Army Soup Kitchen and I converted it into Bridges Theatre and Workshop where improv workshops and performances designed to bring people together happened for the next nearly five years. It now houses Houndstooth Restaurant. Spectacular – check it out!

In the late ‘90’s, Susan Dietrich-Reed (Citadel Executive Director and Music Director), who was running the Salvation Army Music Program, was one of the first people in town to hire me to do improvisational workshops.

Meanwhile, Scott and Eileen Cropley forged ahead with renovating the Oak Room and the rest of the Citadel Dance Center Building. On New Year’s Eve 2003, Bridges Theatre performed one of the very first public events in the newly renovated Oak Room.

Fast forward to 2009. Another special event happened in the Oak Room. Sarah and I were married there on October 3 of that year.

Through many years, paths kept intersecting. Lari Lawrence Gist (Citadel Dance Director) and I worked together with Children’s Music Workshop (CMW), local music composer and pianist Larry Schanker (and Brookview Montessori Executive Director) – who I worked with at Practical Theatre Co. in Chicago – told me more than once that I ought to find a way to get involved with the Citadel. Both of my children took music lessons there with Susan Deitrich-Reed and others. Scott and Eileen and Sarah and I kept in contact through various Benton Harbor Arts District events.

One thing led to another and then in the fall of 2011 Sarah and I bought 91 Hinkley, the Citadel Dance Center building. It was an emotional decision made out of love for the arts district and respect and appreciation of the work of Scott and Eileen and Susan and Lari and everyone who had worked so tirelessly and passionately and professionally to build a world class dance and music center right here in our community.

Scott and Eileen were ready to step aside and pass the baton off to us – and ready or not – we were willing to step in and continue the work of building renovation and preservation and support of the Citadel Dance and Music Center.

12 years later it is now time for us to pass the baton off. I retired from LMC in February of 2023. Sarah and I have our eyes on more travel, more family time and more creative adventures. We were looking to find the right party to buy it and landed on the very best possible solution we could think of: The Citadel Dance and Music Center.

The deal is inked and the Citadel board has launched a capital campaign that is now in its early stages, but already gaining good traction! It’s a sound deal that will provide the Citadel with a permanent home, additional rental revenue streams and future opportunities to expand and improve facilities – all at a below market price!

Please give every consideration to supporting this very worthy not-for-profit arts organization. The Citadel Dance and Music Center is a truly special organization and continues to be an anchor in the Benton Harbor Arts District providing dance and music lessons and programming to hundreds of local children (and adults!) every year – in addition to serving as a community event center for public and private events in the Oak Room.

To learn more and to give, please visit www.CitadelDMC.org.
Also, please know that as part of our effort to ensure a smooth transition, Sarah and I have agreed to stay on to manage the building and the 60+ annual events that happen in the Oak Room for up to two years.

In addition, TORP improv performances will also continue in the Oak Room for at least the next two years!

It was an emotional decision to buy the building and it was with mixed emotions that we decided to sell the building. We are confident in the direction all of this is heading and thrilled at the prospects of long-term support and sustainability for the Citadel Dance and Music Center.

Please join us in our efforts to support! www.CitadelDMC.org.

02/09/2024

Hard to believe that after 3 years of fundraising, the Unified Civic Monuments Project is just $399 away from completing our campaign! Maybe you are the one who will help us go over the top of our $50,000 Patronicity match and $850,000 overall goal. Two Kings. Two Cities. Together. The monuments movement is moving forward in giant leaps now! With only 6 days left to qualify for our matching funds grant, I urge you to please contributed today! www.Patronicity.com/UCMP Thank you!

Let's create a unified community in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, MI through public art honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

02/01/2024

If you have any intent of contributing to the Unified Civic Monuments Project - NOW IS THE TIME. If you aren't familiar with this Unified Civic Monuments Project please take a moment to explore the great gift coming to Benton Harbor - St. Joseph through the generosity of thousands of contributors.

We are now just $5,000 away from completing our Patronicity campaign - which will secure our $50,000 MEDC match and effectively end our 3-year $850,000 fundraising campaign.

Won't you please help us cross the finish line? Let's all pull together to put more UNITY into our COMMUNITY through two monuments celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!

Please donate at www.patronicity.com/ucmp before February 15th. Any dollar amount would be most appreciated.

Let's create a unified community in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, MI through public art honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

12/16/2023

The monuments movement is gaining even more momentum…

The two monuments would lie at each end of a mile-and-a-half Unity Trail that passes over two rivers that long divided the two cities.

12/15/2023

This is it! The Unified Civic Monuments Project in Benton Harbor - St. Joseph, Michigan has raised over $750,000 towards two public art monuments that will be installed next year. We have a $50,000 matching grant from the MEDC now in play. That means we need your help to raise the final $50,000 to make this MLK dream a reality. Please choose unity and contribute today - any dollar amount helps and is doubled thanks to our matching grant!

Let's create a unified community in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, MI through public art honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

07/22/2023

TORP took a slightly more serious and mostly scripted turn last night for the Lory’s Place benefit at the Black River Barn in South Haven. Great fun for a great cause! Costuming by the incomparable Sarah Nadolski.

Next up, our once a month totally new and original improv comedy r***e Friday, July 28 at 7 pm. In the Oak Room at the Citadel.

07/08/2023

The Unified Civic Monuments Project is all set up and spreading the good word at the Krasl Art Fair. Every dollar we raise this weekend will be doubled thanks to a matching $25,000 grant from Corewell Health South. Come on out and explore - and give to the future of our communities!

03/05/2023

Exciting News!!!

Current TORP performers are meeting today to begin preparing for our return to public performing on Friday, April 21.

TORP will have an open workshop for those interested in joining our troupe on Sunday, March 19 at 3pm in The Oak Room at The Citadel, 91 Hinkley in Benton Harbor.

If you have improv in your blood, we sure hope you can make it!